The City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Service said this week that there had been a spike in residential fires over the Easter period.
Easter weekend was celebrated from Friday 3 to Monday 6 April.
The service said it recorded a slight increase in the number of overall incidents over the weekend, from 277 last year to 298 this year.
JP Smith, Mayco member for Safety and Security, said formal residential fires had increased from just a dozen last Easter to 30 this year. The number of informal residential fires decreased slightly. Last year, a total of 34 informal residential fire incidents were recorded, while this year there were only 32.
“These statistics are of concern, particularly as we head into winter, where the fire risk in the home increases as the use of various heating methods increases.
“I appeal to residents always to keep fire safety top of mind, make sure their electrical systems are up to code, service heaters, gas and paraffin stoves and other flammable devices, and keep their wits about them when using them.
“Our emergency services do fire education outreaches, but we also have a comprehensive list of safety tips.”
Smith said most incident categories declined this year, but that trauma and medical incidents went from 21 to 36, an increase of 71%.
The other categories which have shown a decline, according to the Easter statistics, are motor vehicle accidents, of which only 53 incidents were reported this year, pedestrian accidents, of which 22 incidents were reported, and vegetation fires of which 84 incidents were reported.
Visit www.capetown.gov.za/firesafety to view the list of safety tips.
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