Alcohol may be main cause of recent informal settlements fires says City of Cape Town

CAPE TOWN - Alcohol may be the main cause of some of the fires that left several informal settlements in Cape Town devastated.

Over the last two weeks, Cape Town firefighters had contend with 11 fires in informal settlements.

ALSO READ: Cape Town fires: Human Settlements Dept steps in to assist victims

The city’s Fire and Rescue Service added there’s been a 9% increase in informal settlement fires in across Cape Town communities this holiday season.

Spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said alcohol-driven actions triggered these incidents.

“This can be confirmed by a lot of firefighters because these fires occur late evening or early hours of the morning. You can see the Christmas Day fire we had at about 1 o’clock in the morning."

"I think people when they are in that December festive mood, as they call it now, people wake up in the morning at 1 o clock and want to start a braai and that’s not normal behaviour.”