The City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Service responded to 1 014 incidents between Monday, 18 December and Tuesday, 26 December.
In a statement, the City said vegetation or veld fires accounted for 65% of all incidents.
These include the fires in Simon’s Town, Glencairn, Melkbosstrand and Ottery.
There were also numerous informal structural fires, and a building fire in Woodstock that is still being monitored more than 48 hours later.
Speaking about the situation, JP Smith, Mayoral Committee Member for SafetyandSecurity, said
“we know that there is an increase in fires over the warmer months, but the scale of it over this festive season has simply been staggering. And, while the weather has been a contributing factor, we can’t lose sight of the fact that many fires do start as a result of human error or negligence.”
He also said his staff, including the firefighters, Disaster Risk Management and the enforcement services, have worked tirelessly.
” I take my hat off to them, because it has been one of the longest hauls in recent memory, and it is not over.”
He has asked the public to do their bit to ease the load, but not just in terms of fire safety. “Let’s all work together to ensure that what remains of the festive season is as safe as possible for all involved” he said.
More than 400 arrests, we’re made in the City, in the last week.
Picture: Adobe Stock
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