Official Statement from the Joint Operations Centre regarding the Bettys Bay Fire: On 16 July 2014 at approximately 19:30 the first report of a fire on the slopes of the mountain in Bettys Bay was received by the Overstrand Municipal Fire Brigade Services whereby the necessary fire vehicles responded. A Joint Operations Centre was established at Bettys Bay Fire Station. During the course of the evening, Overberg District Municipality, CapeNature, City of Cape Town as well as Cape Winelands District Municipality provided assistance with resources. A total of 24 vehicles and 85 fire fighters were on the scene. Voluntary evacuation of the holiday homes took place and the Overstrand Local Municipality provided temporary accommodation at the local Crassula Hall in Bettys Bay. No services (water, electricity, telephone, sewerage) were disrupted during the fire. Two houses were totally destroyed with few homes partially damaged. Approximately 450 hectares of mountain fynbos and private land were destroyed. Challenges include the fact that most of the affected houses are holiday homes therefore are unoccupied, so the Municipality cannot confirm whether all services are intact. Another concern is the heavy rain which might cause mud slides or significant flooding in the affected area. The Fire Services are in process of conducting an assessment of slightly damaged holiday houses in order to inform those home owners. The fire was extinguished by 8:30 this morning. The cause of the fire is unknown at this stage and is pending an investigation.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 17:43:35 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015