As Cape Town prepared for President Cyril Ramaphosa to deliver the State of the Nation Address on Thursday night, an alarming fire began spreading on the upper slopes of Bo-Kaap.
Listen to this article 4 min Listen to this article 4 min Reports started flooding in across community groups in Cape Town from about 11.30am on Wednesday, 6 February 2025, of a fire burning down the slopes of the mountain in Bo-Kaap.
With harsh winds fuelling the fire, smoke could be seen from the Green Point Athletic Stadium and across Bo Kaap, with the fire seeming to blaze closer and closer to business and residential buildings in the Cape Town CBD near Strand Street.
City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said they received a call at 11.30am alerting them that the mountain slopes were alight above High Level Road in Bo-Kaap.
Approximately 30 workers were on the scene from various fire stations in the City of Cape Town, with five fire engines, a water tanker and a skid unit on site.
Carelse said that two divisions were established to make optimal use of the resources, but the initial request for aerial support was recalled because the firefighters managed to contain the spread of the fire.
'Under control'
By early afternoon, Carelse said: "At this stage, the fire is under control. Crews have relocated to Hudson...
