Firefighters at the ready

Firefighters were prepared last night for an all-night battle to save Simon's Town.

"We are extremely thinly stretched, we are just short of code red - all resources deployed and no more available," City of Cape Town mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said shortly before darkness fell and after two houses had already gone up in flames.

Hundreds of southern Cape peninsula residents were told to flee a wildfire that started above neighbouring Ocean View yesterday morning and raced across the peninsula mountains.

Smith said troops were called in to protect evacuated houses from looters.

The main road to the tourist town, home to the SA Navy headquarters, and the Glencairn Expressway were closed and residents were told to access Simon's Town via Cape Point.

The latest fires follow blazes in Somerset West which caused damage estimated at R60-million - twice as destructive as the large fire that ravaged the southern Cape Peninsula two years ago. Those fires ravaged historic wine farms and scores of other properties.

Firefighters and helicopters, including two SA Air Force choppers, were battling the fire in a strong northwesterly wind.

People in Da Gama Park, Pinehaven, Red Hill, Glen Marine and parts of Simon's Town were advised to leave their homes with their animals and important documents and report to community centres.

Seventeen Golden Arrow buses were sent to the Simon's Town naval base to help with the evacuations and the city council water treatment plant was also evacuated, said disaster risk management spokesman Mandy Thomas.

"All the city's safety and security services are on scene, including the National Sea Rescue Institute and Cape Medical Response."

Two troops of baboons - one with 39 individuals and another with 55 - were escorted to safety across busy roads, said baboon technical team control manager Kay Montgomery.

Volunteers from the Tears animal rescue centre in Kommetjie helped to evacuate tortoises from the path of the fire.

The fire and rescue services said it was stretched to its maximum with 11 fires across the city.