Cape Town fire: Table Mountain Park addresses concerns over response time and vegetation management
Table Mountain National Park has confirmed that the fires were intentionally lit.
CapeTalk's John Maytham, standing in for Lester Kiewit, interviews Megan Taplin, Table Mountain National Park Manager.
Listen below:
The Tokai fire has sparked growing concern among Cape Town residents, with reports suggesting that smoke was visible as early as Friday and Saturday – prompting allegations that authorities were too slow to respond.
Questions have also been raised about the intensity of the fire and whether invasive alien vegetation had been adequately cleared to reduce the risk.
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According to Taplin, the fire was officially contained by late Tuesday afternoon.
However, crews remain active in Tokai, Hout Bay, and along Boyes Drive to monitor for flare-ups and begin mop-up operations.
Addressing concerns about delayed response, Taplin explains that the topography of Table Mountain presents communication challenges, with certain areas lacking signal coverage.
She acknowledges that this poses a risk during emergencies and that authorities are working with cellphone providers to improve signal availability for both residents and responders.
"This is an issue which has been looked at over the years and various options explored. We still are busy working on it; busy trying to find what the various options are."
- Megan Taplin, Manager – Table Mountain National Park
Taplin emphasises that public perception of a slow response may be misleading and that the public does not always see what is happening behind the scenes.
When helicopters arrive, that doesn’t mean it's the beginning of operations, she says, adding that the fire ignited at multiple sites on Friday evening and that rangers responded 'almost immediately' after calls from Tokai residents.
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While the fire was largely under control by Saturday, it flared up again on Sunday due to shifting weather and strong winds.
On Sunday morning alone, 34 ground crew members were deployed to combat the blaze.
"Ground crews were on the fire the whole of Saturday – Friday night, Saturday morning – and we actually deployed the first helicopter on Saturday morning."
- Megan Taplin, Manager – Table Mountain National Park
In response to concerns about fire intensity and vegetation management, Taplin confirms that the fire was deliberately started in upper Tokai – near stacks of veld vegetation.
She adds that authorities have been actively clearing alien vegetation in the area and conduct annual stack burns outside of fire season to reduce risk.
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.