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TUESDAY 15 December 2020 | Tel: 021 910 6500 | Email: post@peoplespost.co.za | Website: www.peoplespost.co.za
@ThePeoplesPost
People’s Post
LAVENDER HILL | SEAWINDS | OVERCOME HEIGHTS
Caution in face of fire risk RACINE EDWARDES RACINE.EDWARDES@MEDIA24.COM @RAEEDWARDES
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n the past month, more than three major residential fires have ravaged homes in the Lavender Hill, Vrygrond and Seawinds communities. With the onset of the wildfire season from December to April, the City of Cape Town has deployed 93 seasonal firefighters who will assist in the combat of wild, vegetation fires. While vegetation fires are their focus, the firefighters will also tend to residential fires which, they hope, will not occur often. On Monday 2 November, Lavender Hill residents in Wicht Court were woken by the commotion caused by a fire that left 18 people homeless (“Community unites”, People’s Post, 10 November). Then, on Friday 27 November, the spokesperson for the City’s fire and rescue service, Jermaine Carelse, reported that one person had died in a fire in Seawinds. He says an emergency call was received regarding structures alight on the corner of Military and St Augustine roads at 11:20. “Ten firefighting appliances and 44 staff members managed to contain and extinguish the fire at 13:30. The body of an elderly man was discovered amongst the debris. No other injuries were reported,” says Carelse. Just a few days later, on Friday 30 November, another fire broke out at a nearby community in Vrygrond. “Three formal dwellings and several informal structures were destroyed, leaving a number of residents homeless,” Carelse says. A body was also discovered at the scene of this fire. The high season for vegetation fires is during summer months while the high season for residential and shack fires is during the winter months when heater, candle and electricity usage are at its highest. Carelse says from January to November, eight fires occurred in Masiphumelele, 49 in Ocean View, 49 in Lavender Hill and three in Cafda. These include informal and formal residential areas, bushes and vehicle fires. “While our firefighters are ready for a busy season ahead, we need residents to do their part in mitigating fire risks. The department continues their inspections and
awareness drives within the necessary regulations but we need residents to take heed of safety tips provided. Together we can make the season safer for everyone,” said JP Smith, the City’s Mayco member for safety and security, in a statement. The City offers the following tips to prevent fires. In the home: . Store matches and lighters away from children. . Use a candle holder and cut candles in half to prevent them falling over. . Do not smoke on couches or in bed. . If you can, keep a fire extinguisher. . Keep a bucket of sand close by; sand can douse a small fire, especially oil, and help contain it before it spreads. . Keep a garden hose ready. . Try to have more than one exit point from your house. . Do not park in the way of a fire hydrant. The same applies to preventing fires in informal dwellings, with the addition of: . Keep a close eye on paraffin stoves. . Don’t cook near a curtain. . Ensure the stove is secure and cannot not fall over. . Put cooking fires out properly. . Do not sleep or leave the house with candles or gas lamps still burning. . Teach children about the dangers of fire. . Make sure cigarette butts are put out properly before disposing of them. . Be aware of the dangers of illegal and faulty electricity connections. . Keep roads and access to shacks clear at all times. . Do not block roads with salvaged household items when there is a fire. . Do not prevent or disturb the work of fire crews fighting fires. Unfortunately, a further 292 fire-related incidents took place on the weekend from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 December. Just as concerning, on Saturday 5 December a brick was thrown through the windscreen of a Lakeside water tanker and the firefighters were threatened by the community in Overcome Heights. “Their jobs are made all the more difficult when they come under attack from the very communities they are trying to save. I appeal once again to residents to respect the job our firefighters do in difficult circumstances,” said Smith.
Several fires have torn through communities, leaving many people homeless. PHOTO: RACINE EDWARDES