Everything lost: Dunoon fire ravages homes and essential school supplies

Emihle Kanityi was at work when the fire raged through her home in Dunoon, destroying everything in its path including her children's uniform and stationery which she had prepared for the new school year. The fire has left 5 500 homeless with the City allocating R12 million for the site to be reblocked.

The fire that tore through Site 5 in Dunoon is believed to be the largest informal settlement blaze in the Western Cape since the Khayelitsha fire of 2013, according to Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers, as thousands of residents remain displaced and emergency relief continues.

Kanityi, is one of the residents who shared her great loss with the Cape Argus, said she had been at work on Friday when she heard about the fire.

“It started around 9am when many people were at work and could do nothing to protect their property,” she told the Cape Argus on Sunday. “When I came home, I found that most of our belongings had been destroyed by the blaze.”

“My children are due to start school again but the fire has left them no supplies for the start of the new year. We are still in the process of cleaning up the mess and evaluating the damage but it seems that, like many others in the community, we have nothing left.”

While the new academic year is looming, Kanityi added that school supplies were not the most pressing concern in the area where aid workers are currently still desperately trying to meet the basic needs of a community in distress.

More than 1 000 dwellings were completely destroyed when the fast-moving fire swept through the settlement on Friday, leaving an estimated 5 500 people homeless. Strong winds fuelled the blaze, forcing firefighters to deploy two helicopters for aerial water-bombing before it was extinguished at about 7pm.

Mayco Member for Human Settlements, Carl Pophaim said the City is ready to proceed with the urgent reblocking with a budget set and that tensions had mounted with residents which was resolved: "We acknowledge the distress experienced by residents and understand the mistrust which has emerged because of past delays and unfulfilled commitments by the National Department of Human Settlements. Some residents have already started rebuilding with salvaged materials rather than wait for formal assistance.

"The City has made R12 million available for the site to be reblocked and have contractors on standby, ready to begin work immediately.

"Key City services are on-site and are ready to go. The City notes the rejection by the affected community for that reblocking intervention.

"City officials have been instructed to step aside temporarily to avoid further conflict. We are not withdrawing from the area. We are ready to work with residents, community leadership and other spheres of government to find a way forward, which restores safe and dignified housing as quickly as possible."

Sooliman said the scale of destruction was overwhelming.

“In excess of 1 000 dwellings were totally obliterated. Alas 5 500 of our fellow compatriots became refugees in their own space,” Sooliman said.

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis praised the efforts of emergency crews and City staff.

“This was a terrible fire, which our firefighters bravely fought to get under control in difficult, windy conditions which also required aerial water-bombing using two helicopters,” Hill-Lewis said.

The Cape of Good Hope SPCA said Belinda Abraham animals were often overlooked during disasters and activated a large-scale disaster response.

To date the Western Cape has already authorised 38 aerial firefighting missions this season, with approximately R15 million spent on aerial firefighting support.

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Cape Argus