Signal Hill fire fully extinguished, hotspot checks continue
The Signal Hill blaze has been contained, with teams conducting follow-up checks to prevent any resurgence of the fire.
Image: Armand Hough/Independent Newspapers
Firefighters continued hotspot monitoring on Signal Hill on Monday after a vegetation fire that broke out above the historic Bo-Kaap area was fully extinguished in the early hours of the morning.
The fire erupted on the slopes of Signal Hill near Voetboog Street late on Sunday evening, January 18, with emergency services receiving reports at about 9:30pm. Fanned by dry conditions, the blaze spread rapidly through dense vegetation in steep and difficult terrain.
More than 60 firefighters from City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services were deployed to battle the fire, assisted by crews from Table Mountain National Park and Volunteer Wildfire Services.
Firefighters managed to contain and extinguish the blaze by approximately 1:00am on Monday. Authorities confirmed that no homes were damaged and no injuries were reported.
As a precaution, Signal Hill Road was temporarily closed during firefighting operations but has since reopened to traffic.
On Monday, teams from Working on Fire were seen conducting follow-up hotspot checks on the mountain to ensure no flare-ups occurred. Working on Fire employs more than 5,000 trained firefighters, stationed at over 200 bases across South Africa, and regularly supports wildfire operations nationwide.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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