CAPE TOWN – A large fire ripped through a section of informal dwellings in Imizamo Yethu West, Mandela Park, in Hout Bay in the early hours of this morning, Sunday 11 October.

The City’s Fire and Rescue Service received the call at 03:45, and on arrival found a significant area of informal structures ablaze.

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According to City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Mark Bosch, fire engines from Hout Bay, Constantia, Wynberg, Lakeside, Roeland, Salt River and Sea Point were dispatched, along with water tankers from Gugulethu, Kraaifontein, Mitchell’s Plain and Epping fire stations. An Incident Management Team was also sent to the scene given the scale and hazards involved.

Firefighters brought the blaze under control by 06:43, but damping-down operations were expected to take considerable time due to the heavy fuel load in the area. Crews were to remain on scene until the area was declared safe.

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Bosch said no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is not known.

An update on the number of dwellings and people affected would follow once on-site crews had determined the full impact.