Cape Town Fire/Smoke Alert Thread

I am waiting for the pictures from my dad gdiza, he had his camera there. I didn't unfortunately. Hope it comes out ok.
 
WOW
that sounds really HECTIC

Thank you so much for your efforts to help with the fire
WE really appreciate everything each and everyone of you guys do to keep the fires away from our houses.

apparantly on monday there was a fire infront of our house (in the N2 road reserve)
but it was put out by our neighbours very quickly
we suspect that is was started by some of the kids on the estate as we really are too far for it to have been sparks.
If i ever discover who it was i will personally wring their necks
 
Wow yes - it is easy to see the difference in colour it is such a dark orange/red! Wow. wow amazing sites, but as you say, not what you really want to see!
We also watched some fire vehicles getting caught between fires - maybe it was you we were watching!

I can only echo everything IC has said - we cannot begin to tell you what we feel for all of you who are helping - thank you is so inadequate.
As for whoever started the fire on the estate at Firlands, don't let me find out who it was!!!!!!!!
 
There is an arsonist on the loose in the Helderberg. I am sure of it, as in the last few weeks there has been too many strange fires.(Non public areas) On one day I think about 4 weeks ago there was 4 fires on the same day. If you plot these fires on a map, it makes a straight line. One started close to the Old Sir lowrys pass road. One started above the houses by Bizweni, one started later in Vergelegen on the hill behind Bizweni and later one started in the Nature Reserve. All of these could have started what is now going on in the area if they were not contained as quickly as they were.
 
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This is where I was monday evening.
 
Won't work with Firefox - with Firefox, just right click the [enlarged] image, and click copy image location.
 
Yep, it was a wall of flame. I drew a red line, but it is not so visible on the picture. I saw this morning the fire was heading past the broadcast tower towards the Nature reserve outside Grabouw. Does anyne know what Nature reserve that is? It is the one with the Suicide gorge hiking trial.
 
At least the fire can't go further up Sir Lowry's pass. I was at a fire there 2 weeks ago. It burned all the way from the Informal settlement close to Grabouw down to the N2 on Sir Lowry's pass. So, that area has been burned on the front and stretching far on the back end of Sir Lowry's pass towards Grabouw.
 
Ok, I found it. It is the Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve. (I should have guessed it!) Looking at their brochure, it would seem that it is burning in their area already as it streches all the way to the top of the Hottentots Holland mountains above Somerset West.
 
Fighters struggle to contain fires in the Cape
Chanel September | 1 Hour Ago

Cape Town Fire Services says that fire fighters are trying to contain two of the three fires at Knorrhoek and Breedeville farms at Vergelegen Estate.

Fire Service’s Winston Davids says that more than 70 fire fighters are on the scene.

He says that helicopters were to have begun water bombing the area but they have been delayed by mechanical problems.

He says they have struggled to gain access to the farms on Wednesday morning.

“The plantations are very close to each other so we can’t get our fire trucks in there, besides our bakkies are the only ones we can get in there but we can barely get through those plantations,” says Davids.

Meanwhile, Knorrhoek resident Sophie Johnston says the fire is threatening their family home.

“We took our documents and a change of clothes and photographs; those are the only things you cannot replace and we basically just stayed together as a family,” says Johnston.

from eye witness news -
I think the Breedeville farm is meant to be Wedderville as that is where it is still burning.
 
These news reports are sometimes misleading. What I saw at Knorhoek was that the larger tankers and tenders can get to the houses, but the Pineplantations that is on fire is offroad. This means that the tankers will have to wait by the houses while ground crews and bakkies get to the fire in the plantation. I really hope they can stop the fire getting to a family home. Having your house burn down is an extremely emotional event. I have seen my fair share of peoples sorrow when it comes to this. I think that is why I am so pasionate and determined to help out at these fires.
 
SFX said:
These news reports are sometimes misleading. What I saw at Knorhoek was that the larger tankers and tenders can get to the houses, but the Pineplantations that is on fire is offroad.
Click to expand...
You are so right - at one stage yesterday the news reports led one to believe that the whole of the Sir Lowry's Pass village was being evacuated - which had me in a state as that is too close to me for comfort.

BTW SFX - thanks for your efforts with the fire last Sunday night - you guys sure did a sterling job on that one - I was so afraid it would sweep down onto us, especially when it jumped the road (I was out checking every hour) and you sure got it out quickly.

Now if only this one could be 'got out', I am almost afraid to go home each day as I don't want to see that it has moved closer to us.
 
My gut feel is if any houses are in danger all efforts will be used to put the fire out close to these houses. I feel that the fire at this point is contained to areas not accessable by vehicles. This does not mean the fire is out or under control, as the SE is the boss in Somerset West. I believe that they need to contain these fires now, while they have a window of oppertunity (clear sky and little wind). Hopefully putting them out. Otherwise this is going to drag on for a few more days. Many old trees (thick stumps) can remain burning for 7 days if not tended to properly (the harder the wood the longer it burns as well). This give the wind 7 days to restart this whole process.
 
Interesting. I see the AFIS map had only 2 fire showing earlier, but now has 9 if seen on Google Earth - but mostly in mountains and moving away - I find this fascinating and far more interesting than work!

SE is supposed to be back tomorrow....and there are so many old trees in that area. What a job it will be to keep track of flare-ups.
 
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