A vegetation fire that broke out on the slopes above Grotto Road, Hout Bay on Tuesday 24 March afternoon has spread overnight after cresting the mountain ridge.
The City of Cape Town Fire & Rescue Service received the first alert at 13:40 and deployed crews from Hout Bay Fire Station.
Fire Service spokesperson Mark Bosch said additional resources were requested on arrival, including five fire engines, two water tankers and an incident management team
Aerial support was mobilised, with three helicopters and a fixed-wing spotter aircraft operating at the height of firefighting efforts.
Ground crews from South African National Parks (SANParks) and Table Mountain National Park assisted on the fire line.
No property damage has been reported.
By Tuesday evening resources were scaled back to two fire engines and water tankers, supported by SANParks crews, as teams worked to secure the area.
Bosch said on Wednesday morning that the fire remained high on the slopes after cresting the ridge and was spreading towards Klein Constantia Farm. Helicopters were scheduled to resume water bombing at first light.
Trails closed
SANParks confirmed the fire had reached the top of Vlakkenberg mountain and issued an urgent safety notice.
“All trails in the affected area are closed with immediate effect,” it stated. “Hikers and members of the public are strongly advised not to attempt access from Constantia Nek or surrounding entry points.”
Officials urged the public to comply with all closures and instructions to ensure safety and allow firefighting operations to continue without disruption.
Fire crews will remain on scene until the blaze is fully extinguished.
