Fire forces some Simon's Town residents to evacuate homes

Residents living in Runciman Heights and Harbour Heights were being evacuated, according to the City of Cape Town's Disaster Risk Management Centre.

Spokesperson Charlotte Powell said the fire had reached 13 structures, destroying some and damaging others.

News24 reporter, Tammy Petersen, on the scene, said firefighters were hosing down chalets at Oatlands Holiday Village. She said three chalets burned down and a few others still had burning thatched roofs.

The home of a Dutch family currently in the Netherlands was badly affected. Firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze at the Jan Smuts Drive home by 16:30, but the building and furniture were extensively damaged.

A neighbour, who was using a hosepipe to ensure all the flames had been doused, said he had informed the homeowner, who would return to South Africa later this month.

Residents living nearby told News24 they felt "deeply unsettled".

One elderly homeowner said he told his wife earlier today that it was "time to sell up".

"At my age I can't afford to be homeless. I am too old to have to worry about fires and losing my investment to something like this."

He always looked forward to spending the rest of his life living "right here on the mountain" but was feeling unsafe as the fire spread, he said.

Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson, Theo Layne, confirmed the fire had spread and was not yet under control.

“It is being fanned by very strong winds at the moment and is blowing down to residential properties.”

He said the blaze had moved to Murdock Valley.

Source News 24