Firefighter in hospital after colleague dies in Cape blaze

A firefighter is in hospital with burns to his arm and face after he tried to move his vehicle to safety during a blaze in George in the Southern Cape.

The Working on Fire crew member was injured on Thursday‚ just three days after a colleague died while fighting a fire in the Simonsberg mountains near Klapmuts.

The crew member‚ a driver‚ had tried to move his vehicle to a safe area in the Kammanasie mountains‚ said Working on Fire spokesperson Lauren Howard.

He was stabilised and taken to George MediClinic.

Makelepe Cedric Seokoma‚ 36‚ an assistant project manager for Working on Fire‚ died on Monday.

Sphiwe Hobasi tweeted a video by Herman Pieters of a Working on Fire truck engulfed in flames on Thursday: “One firefighter has been hospitalised.”

Howard said fire crews were battling two major fires in the Western Cape on Thursday.

A blaze encroaching on the historic Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West – which is owned by retail billionaire Christo Wiese – was extinguished by Thursday night in an operation involving water-bombing helicopters and crews from CapeNature‚ Working on Fire‚ Lourensford staff and City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue.

On Friday the fire in George was still being fought by Working on Fire‚ CapeNature‚ Provincial Disaster Management and the Eden District Municipality.

A memorial service was held this week for Cape Town firefighter Candice Kruger‚ who collapsed during a blaze on Table Mountain.

Working on Fire‚ a government-funded job creation programme‚ employs about 5‚000 fully trained wildfire fighters across the country.