The City’s fire and rescue service say there has been an increase of 15% in formal residential fires.
In June 2019, the brigade responded to 150 formal residential fires.Â
Meanwhile, the number of informal residential fires decreased from 150 to 127.
There was also a decrease in fatalities, from 12 in June 2018, to six this year.
In Table View alone, there have been three residential fires within a month and a dog died in one of them.Â
Community Medics were called out to a house fire in Parklands on Saturday July 6. They contained it until City Fire and Rescue arrived.
On Thursday July 4, a fire was reported at a house in Seaton Street, Parklands, and a month before that there was a house fire in Briza Road, Blaauwberg.Â
The elderly man living in the home and his two dogs managed to get out. The man was treated on the scene for minor breathing problems.
Mayoral committee member for safety and security, JP Smith, said: “Winter presents a challenge, as residents start relying on heaters, electric blankets and other methods to ward off the chill. The use of so-called galley fires, also known as imbawula, is another big risk factor, as the fumes could result in carbon monoxide poisoning.
Add other potential factors like electrical faults, smoking, open flames and the like, and the need for extreme vigilance becomes apparent.”
