The mountain slopes near Harbour Bay Mall in Simon’s Town have become the latest battleground for Western Cape firefighters as another wildfire took hold, on Friday.
Harbour Bay mountain slopes engulfed in raging wildfire
The fire, which began in the wee hours of Friday, gained significant momentum by noon, albeit, at this juncture, the situation has not necessitated evacuations of homes in and around the Harbour Heights area.
However, concerns are growing that strong winds could fuel the blaze and pose a significant challenge to firefighters.
As this story develops, here are some of the images that have surfaced online:
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This second fire near Harbour Bay Mall follows a severe wildfire in late December 2023, which swept over the mountains of Simon’s Town.
The previous fire, exacerbated by strong winds and dry conditions, scorched over 1 100 hectares of veld and led to the evacuation of residents in Stonehaven and Scarborough.
The severity of the Simon’s Town fires can be attributed to a combination of natural and human factors, according to Stefaan Conradie, a climatologist from the University of Cape Town’s Climate Systems Analysis Group.
The area’s fynbos vegetation, adapted to burn, requires fire for seed germination and growth. However, frequent fires, climate change, and human activities have increased the risk and intensity of these wildfires.
“There is a very strong southeastern blowing, which is driving the fire and risking fire fighting, but that’s not unusual in Simon’s Town in summer. Publicly accessible data does not suggest extreme fire weather conditions,” he told Daily Maverick.
