Cape Town - The heat wave that scorched Cape Town left nothing untouched, with the City’s Fire and Rescue Service responding to 406 incidents between Friday and Sunday last week.
According to reports, the service responded to 235 vegetation fires, including a fire on Ou Kaapseweg, and 48 residential fires (22 formal residential and 26 informal residential).
Mayco member for Safety and Security, J P Smith, said although vegetation fires occurred at this time, the recent weather provided an extra obstacle.
“Cape Town has been experiencing some incredibly hot days in recent weeks, and we still have at least two more months of summer in the offing. While vegetation fires are more common during the warmer months, the weather conditions of late provide an additional challenge.
“I am, however, very proud of how quickly staff were able to suppress the fire on Ou Kaapseweg this weekend, working alongside other firefighting agencies. And, while the absence of wind has probably made weather conditions all the more unbearable, it served as a blessing to firefighters as the wind is often one of the biggest contributors to runaway fires,” said Smith.
Meanwhile, according to the weather service, a much cooler week is to be expected in Cape Town.
SA Weather Service forecaster Surprise Mhlongo said cloudy and cooler weather was expected.
“There might be a bit of wind for the coastal towns along the peninsula, and the winds might go up to 40km/h. The highest temperature is set to be 26ºC, with a minimum temperature of 20ºC. It will still be hot, but it will be relatively cooler.
“Temperatures might change next week from Sunday to Monday as it might pick up again, but for now things will remain cooler,” said Mhlongo.
Weekend Argus