...the fire alarms on the fire engines rang out.
This was the closest that we could get for a view, as the road was blocked with traffic.
Apparently the fire started on the riverbanks behind our local golf course, and I spoke to a guy at the golf course. He told me that they wet the grass of the course with hoses to prevent the fire from switching over onto the course at the 18th hole. Fires are a big danger here, and we have seen so much destruction by previous fires, that even just the mention of a fire sets everyone on their nerves.
Fortunately, the fire crews here are all professionals, and within a couple of hours, they managed to kill the fire. We have many fires here every year, and our fire fighters are renowned internationally for their experience in fighting fires. So, this day there were no structural damages, as the fire was successfully contained.
But still, fires are always a big worry.
We travelled towards the fire, but like I said, the road was clogged with traffic.
As we came up to a set of traffic, I turned left to see if the fire was burning in the wetland.
But the fire was still some distance from the wetland.
Cape Town - As the Western Cape enters its most precarious fire season, CapeNature has reported a staggering 89 wildfires between April 2023 and March 2024, scorching roughly 73,671 hectares.
However, amidst these concerning figures, there is a silver lining. CapeNature managed to contain 54% of the fires to less than 10 hectares and 21% to under 100 hectares. These impressive results were primarily due to the adoption of the Large-Scale Rapid Initial Attack (LASRIA) approach and strong collaborative efforts across various institutions.
The white clouds behind the black clouds of the fire were caused by the water of the fire fighters.
And so, we decided to drive up to a high spot in order to see what it looked like.
Just a closeup with the sea in the background.
We have also seen the news of some very serious current fires in LA and Florida, and wildfires spread by strong winds are always a big danger. Many fires are started due to negligence and arson. We can do nothing about the arson, as the culprits normally escape, but negligence we can certainly sort things out. Making a fire at night for a barbeque (braai) should also be put out properly, to prevent the winds from stirring up the flames and spreading the burning embers. Flicking cigarette butts out of car windows is also a big danger, and we think that education about these dangers might help to alleviate the problem of negligence.
Such is life.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.
Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
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