CAPE TOWN – Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) is taking proactive measures against wildfire risks by starting maintenance on its Circum-Peninsula Fire Break Network this week.

Contractors are deployed initially to high-risk zones in the Southern and Central Peninsula before systematically progressing northwards towards the City Bowl.

Fire break network

Barring weather delays, teams expect to complete the extensive fire break network by December this year.

South African National Parks (SANParks) brought the schedule forward significantly following weather forecasts that predict an extended period of high to extreme fire danger across Cape Town this summer.

Maintained annually through a collaborative partnership between SANParks and the City of Cape Town, the Circum-Peninsula firebreak creates a critical defensible buffer zone.

This open barrier separates wildland vegetation from urban properties, giving firefighting crews a strategic tactical line to contain runaway blazes.

As park teams clear regional brush, management urges residents living along the urban-wildland interface to secure their own properties.

Cutting dense vegetation

Homeowners can drastically reduce fire risks by cutting back dense vegetation near structures, clearing dry leaves from gutters and maintaining clean, defensible spaces around buildings.

Residents can consult the Cape Peninsula Fire Protection Association for detailed property preparedness guidelines.

Concurrently, TMNP is boosting its wildland firefighting capacity.

The park will deploy additional seasonal ground resources starting in October, while specialised aerial firefighting support will arrive on standby two weeks earlier than in previous years.

Joint training exercises and operational readiness drills remain ongoing with municipal partner agencies to streamline emergency coordination.

The park urges hikers and residents to report smoke sightings immediately to emergency services.

Hikers must plan mountain routes carefully and strictly obey official ranger instructions when routes or trails face temporary closures due to active fire incidents.

ALSO READ: Perivale Primary School celebrates Arbor Week with green tree-planting initiative