A force of nearly 300 firefighters, supported by three helicopters, is currently engaged in combating a wildfire that erupted on Tuesday on a mountain overlooking Simon’s Town, situated approximately 40km south of Cape Town, South Africa.
The town, hosting the country’s primary and largest naval base, faces a critical situation as the fire, initiated on Tuesday morning, gained momentum overnight due to winds, as reported by local media.
Jermaine Carelse, the spokesperson for Cape Town’s emergency services, conveyed that the blaze caused damage to a solitary derelict building on the grounds of the South African Navy around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, according to statements quoted by the IOL news website.
As a precautionary measure, several homes in the Harbour Heights neighbourhood of the town were evacuated shortly after midnight on Wednesday. Carelse stated, “Only a single derelict building was damaged last night at around 8 p.m. on the grounds of the SA Navy.”
Regrettably, five firefighters sustained injuries during the firefighting operation, with two of them requiring hospitalisation.