NSRI assists in battling against the blazes in the Southern Peninsula

As fires blazed in the Southern Peninsula, in the Western Cape, on Wednesday, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) deployed teams from Kommetjie, Simon’s Town, Hout Bay and Strandfontein to assist.

ALSO READ: Pulling together to fight Somerset West fires

Ian Klopper, NSRI Kommetjie station commander, said that at 9.36am, NSRI Kommetjie duty crew conducted standbys with a sea rescue craft at estuaries in Kommetjie, where Volunteer Wild Fire Services, Working on Fire and Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services helicopters, were filling up water from estuaries.

“Then at around midday NSRI Kommetjie and NSRI Simon’s Town were requested by Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services and by City of Cape Town Disaster Risk Management to formally deploy available NSRI crew to assist in the fire fighting effort,” said Klopper.

“We were dispatched to the Da Gama Park, Glencairn area where homes were threatened.”

He said 13 NSRI Kommetjie crew and six NSRI Simon’s Town crew were deployed to this area.

“NSRI Kommetjie’s fire pump, donated by Enviro Wildfire Services, and water extrication pumps from both sea rescue stations, NSRI rescue vehicles and crew using their private 4×4 vehicles assisted to evacuate residents, animals and essential possessions from homes threatened by fires and fighting the fire alongside the professional fire teams and residents who stayed behind to protect their properties,” said Klopper.

“The fire, where we were deployed, was then burning towards the Rotary Camp buildings, Glencairn, and in the general area, we continued assisting to evacuate residents, and we set up two water pumps to suck water out of the Rotary swimming pool, using fire hoses to fight fires, while the helicopters bombed water on the fire, and using garden hoses to fight the fire we set up a perimeter around the Rotary Camp and fought the fire bravely.”

He said the Rotary Camp buildings were saved, and then they were redeployed to continue to assist the fire departments to attack hotspots and evacuate residents.

At 7pm, they retreated to rest until 8.30pm when they were to be redeployed by the fire commanders.

Picture: NSRI Kommetjie

NSRI Simon’s Town deployed 20 crew members to assist in fighting the Southern Peninsula fires on Wednesday.

Darren Zimmerman, NSRI Simon’s Town station commander, said: “Apart from the Rotary Camp, as described by my colleague Ian, we are deployed to assist at multiple areas with fighting the fires, setting up water extrication pumps, evacuating residents, building protection, delivering food to fire fighters and with medical assistance and in particular where fires raged in the Simonskloof area.”

He said the fire teams were working non-stop to contain the fires and added that residents had been “fantastic” in their assistance with food and refreshment donations. He said businesses in the area were being “extremely helpful”.

Picture: NSRI Simon’s Town

The NSRI further commended everyone who assisted in Wednesday’s fires, including the crews who continued throughout Wednesday night.

“This has been a major incident and the full force of the emergency services are deployed to assist,” said the NSRI in a statement on Wednesday night.

Fires spark panic in WC's southern peninsulahttps://t.co/LfpNWkhskK pic.twitter.com/3TERmhzxSn

— iafrica.com News (@iafricanews) January 12, 2017

PICS: Simon’s Town fires rage on: Huge fires which began on the Ocean View side of the Southern Peninsula continue… https://t.co/VWTJxiAHrQ

— CapeTown Journal (@capetownjournal) January 11, 2017

Paddocks in the smoke. #feelingemotional #fires #southernpeninsulafires #evacuation @ Welcome… https://t.co/zrQEUHMXmL

— Dena Wainman (@Dee83D) January 11, 2017

The NSRI also listed the emergency services who were deployed to fight the fires along with the NSRI teams:

• Community services
• Neighbourhood watch teams
• SA National Parks rangers
• Table Mountain National Park rangers
• SPCA
• City of Cape Town Disaster Risk Management
• Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services
• Working on Fire
• Volunteer Wild Fire Services
• Fire helicopters
• 22 Squadron of the SA Air Force with 2 Oryx helicopters
• The SA Navy (including the Navy’s ships fire fighting teams)
• Western Cape Government Health Emergency Medical Services
• Cape Medical Response
• Community Medics
• ER24 ambulance services
• Law enforcement
• Cape Town Traffic Services
• SA Police Services
• Scores of members of the public who joined in todays effort and the fantastic community response.

– Caxton News Service

For more news your way, follow The Citizen on Facebook and Twitter.