In the past 12 months, there was a reduction in the number of residential fires and related fatalities. The Fire and Rescue Service continues to advocate for vigilance, particularly around fire risks related to substance abuse.
Residential fire statistics for 2024/25 saw reductions in both the number of formal residential fires and informal residential incidents.
The overall number of fires dropped by 10%. The number of fatalities dropped by 25%.
The statistics, while encouraging, can’t ease the devastation wrought by the thousands of fires that we continue to respond to each year. That said, I do not want to take anything away from the residents, communities, emergency services and other partners who work very hard to prioritise fire safety education and public safety,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
Khayelitsha, Philippi, Gugulethu, Mfuleni and Wallacedene were the areas with the highest number of fire-related fatalities.
As in previous years, the statistics once again highlight that most fatalities occur overnight (between 21:00 and 06:00) on weekends, and that the majority of victims are male.
‘These trends point to the ongoing challenge around alcohol and other substances. Handling flammable items requires vigilance and care – something that is far more difficult to do when intoxicated. In times like these, steer clear of open flames, for your own safety and that of those around you,’ added Alderman Smith.
The City has a comprehensive list of basic fire safety tips in the home: https://bit.ly/3A6gW2I
Residents are urged to save the Public Emergency Communication Centre’s number on their cellphone, in case of emergency: 021 480 7700.
ATTACKS ON THE FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE
In the first seven months of this year, the Fire & Rescue Service recorded at least a dozen incidents where staff were attacked or under threat.
Seventy percent of incidents happened over weekends, where staff were either robbed at gunpoint of their cellphones or portable radios, or vehicles were stoned by volatile crowds.
‘These attacks serve no one – what it does is result in staff and vehicle shortages, and longer response times, as firefighters have to wait to be escorted into volatile areas or red zones. Those additional moments can mean the difference between life and death, but also turn what might have been a single structure fire into something far more devastating,’ concluded Alderman Smith.
Source: City of Cape Town