The Mother City’s fire season is certainly upon us. Many people have been displaced by fires, since the start of December alone – and as the days are set to become warmer, and winds stronger, the City of Cape Town is urging residents to take the appropriate steps to mitigate the risk of fires.

According to the City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management Centre, one of the most common reason for the spread of fires in the city is the strong south-easterly winds, which are particularly prevalent during summer.

With that, the start of the summer season saw roughly 600 people displaced. This followed fires in the first weekend of December at informal settlements in Samora Machel, Philippi and Nomzamo (near Strand). Gift of the Givers were on the scene at each of the fires providing humanitarian assistance, in what they’ve called one of their busiest weekends in Cape Town.

A week later, Gift of the Givers were on the scene of another fire. Numerous people living in the Doornbach Informal Settlement in Du Noon were also left without a home.

“This is the fifth fire in six days that Gift of the Givers teams are actively involved in.” – Ali Sablay, Gift of The Givers

To combat the ongoing fire-related challenges that residents and emergency response teams are faced with, the City partnered with Mandoval to provide fire safety material to those living in Overcome Heights, in Seawinds. The partnership earlier this year saw homes in the informal settlement coated with a “vermiculate-based cementitious product, Tekrok C”, which helps prevent the spread of fires.

“Of the 82 structures, 47 were fully coated and 35 partially coated. The pilot project will continue in January 2024, until the target of at least 300 structures coated in the fire retardant substance is met.” – JP Smith, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security.

The City’s JP Smith says fires in informal settlements are difficult to control, and with that have urged residents to take heed of the following tips:

• Keep a close eye on cooking devices like paraffin or gas stoves, open flames etc.
• Do not cook near a window with a curtain.
• Keep candles in cans, surrounded by sand to snuff out the flame should the candle fall over.
• Do not go to sleep or leave the house with candles or gas lamps still burning.
• Do not smoke in bed and make sure cigarette butts are put out properly before disposing of them.
• Teach children about the dangers of fire, and store flammable items like matches or lighters out of their reach.
• Be aware of the dangers of illegal and faulty electricity connections, which also cause fires.
• Keep a bucket handy to fill with water so that you can extinguish flames easily.
• Keep a bucket of sand to put out paraffin fires.
• Build structures a good distance (at least 3m) apart to prevent fires from spreading; make sure this space is kept open.
• Keep roads and access to structures clear at all times.
• Do not block roads with personal belongings when there is a fire.
• Do not prevent or disturb the work of fire crews fighting fires.

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