The fire hydrant in Gladiolus Street, which eyewitnesses say was not working during the devastating house fire in Protea Village two weeks ago, has since been inspected and repaired by the City of Cape Town.
The devastating fire ripped through the house on the morning of Sunday 17 August claiming the life of a 41-year-old woman. According to eyewitnesses TygerBurger spoke to, firemen were seen struggling with the fire hydrant at 66 Gladiolus, about a block away from the burning house.
” After no success one of fire trucks had to make haste to another hydrant near the Spar kilometres away to fill up its water tank,” says one neighbour, Sanet van Onselen.
I heard one of the firemen saying ‘hier gaan niks aan nie’, whereafter they left to find water elsewhere.
Another neighbour, Leandre Wilsons, says she also witnessed firefighters “struggling” with the same fire hydrant during the blaze. “I heard one of the firemen saying ‘hier gaan niks aan nie’, whereafter they left to find water elsewhere. They were gone for quite long to refill while the fire was raging.”
Out of order for years
According to Shane Woodbine, who lives down the road from the same hydrant, it had been out of order since he moved into the house 24 years ago. In 2023 his house caught fire. He managed to extinguish the fire himself before the fire brigade arrived but ended up in hospital.
Woodbine says he has reported the faulty hydrant on several occasions over the years, as they experience many fires at the nature reserve behind his house.
“During on such fire I saw three firemen struggling with the fire hydrant, which they could not get open. In the following days a fire station captain was here and I told him about the hydrant being out of order,” says Woodbine.
A former chair for the local neighbourhood watch, Leon Basson, says he had reported the faulty fire hydrant to the fire station twice in two years.
“After the fire at Shane’s house I went to the Brackenfell Fire Station to personally report it. I still remember the officer’s exact words as he said, ‘We are operational and don’t work with these issues’.
He did say that he would report it to the relevant department at the City,” Basson told TygerBurger.
“During another visit, I reported it again, and was this time promised that it would be arranged for the fire hydrant to be repaired, something that evidently didn’t happen,”
Inspection
In response to a media inquiry sent by TygerBurger on 20 August, the City’s Mayco member for water and sanitation, Zahid Badroodien on 26 August stated that no service requests for a faulty hydrant in Gladiolus Street had been logged. He also stated that maintenance teams had been dispatched to conduct inspections of all fire hydrants in Gladiolus Street. When asked what the findings of the inspection were, the City did not provide a specific answer, save to say that the matter is being investigated.
However, Wilson contacted TygerBurger on 20 August, informing the newspaper that a City official visited the street on 19 August.
“He was driving up and down the street and then stopped at my house to ask whether I knew if there was a fire hydrant in the street. I showed him the fire hydrant at 66 Gladiolus, and after looking at it he told me that the hydrant had not been serviced in years, neither was it marked in the street,” says Wilson.
On 27 August, TygerBurger visited the site of the same hydrant, where resident Sanet van Onselen said she observed a City contractor digging near a street corner not far from the hydrant.
“When I asked him what he was doing, he told me he had to install three valves,” she explained.
All fire hydrants should be checked regularly. If another fire breaks out in the area and the hydrants aren’t working, the consequences could be catastrophic.
In another statement to the media yesterday, Badroodien confirmed that the hydrant at 24 Gladiolus Street had been paved over in a driveway. This issue, he said will be identified and addressed by replacing the hydrant. However, he did not make mention of the Hydrant at 66 Gladiolus.
He furthermore confirmed that the three valves are to be installed on the street corner, to isolate Gladiolus Street, and that two other fire hydrants (not specified) will be replaced with new ones.
Wilsons says it’s deeply concerning for residents to discover that a key fire hydrant in their street wasn’t operational. “All fire hydrants should be checked regularly. If another fire breaks out in the area and the hydrants aren’t working, the consequences could be catastrophic,” she warned.
Badroodien added that residents are requested to please report water and sanitation-related service requests, such as faulty hydrants, sewer overflows or blockages, to one of the following channels:
. Online: www.capetown.gov.za/servicerequests; email water@capetown.gov.za; SMS 31373; Call 0860 103 089, or to visit a City walk-in centre.
