On Saturday, South African firefighters successfully contained a massive wildfire near Cape Town, allowing evacuated residents to finally return home. The wildfire broke out on the mountain slopes of Simon’s Town earlier in the week and quickly spread across thousands of hectares, leading to the evacuation of numerous residents from their homes.
A statement from the Cape Town city government’s social media account confirmed that all evacuated individuals have been cleared to return home, signifying that the firefighting efforts had been scaled back. Despite this, firefighters will remain on the scene to monitor for potential flare-ups and a number of fire-related road closures are still in place.
The Cape of Good Hope, a popular tourist attraction in South Africa, was also able to reopen on Saturday after being closed the previous day due to the fire. South African National Parks made the decision to close it on Friday for the safety of visitors.
Although five firefighters were injured during the blaze, no loss of life or property was reported. The Naval Base Simon’s Town was briefly under threat, with one derelict building being damaged by the fire on Tuesday night.
Wildfires are a common occurrence in the hot, dry months from November to April around Cape Town and become particularly dangerous when fueled by strong coastal winds. However, the current fire has been successfully contained by the efforts of the firefighters.
