Fire activity across Cape Town has climbed sharply over the past eight weeks, with official figures revealing noticeable year-on-year increases in both vegetation and residential blazes, placing sustained pressure on the City's emergency services, Cape town Etc reports.
Data from the Fire and Rescue Service shows that incidents across all fire-related categories rose by between five and 16 percent compared to the same period the previous year, underlining a worrying seasonal trend as summer conditions persist.
According to Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith, higher temperatures have played a role, but prolonged south-easterly winds have significantly worsened the situation. He explained that these winds not only help fires spread faster once they start, but also make firefighting operations far more difficult on the ground.
