 | Man appears in court in connection with Paarl Mountain fire
06 December 2024 | Press Releases |
4 December 2024
A 42-year-old man has appeared in the Paarl Magistrates' Court in connection with this past weekend's devastating fire on the slopes of Paarl Mountain. This follows his arrest by Drakenstein Municipality's Law Enforcement division and the South African Police Service (SAPS) on Sunday afternoon, 1 December 2024.
The man appeared in court on Tuesday, 3 December 2024, on charges relating to the Veld and Forestry Fire Act. His case was postponed to 10 December 2024, and he remains in custody until his next court appearance. The man was arrested for illegally making a fire on Paarl Mountain which caused damage to the area's fauna and flora.
The fire raged from around midday on Saturday, 30 November 2024, and at one stage, firefighting crews and vehicles of no less than five municipalities were involved in battling the blaze. Drakenstein Municipality's Fire and Rescue Services were assisted by the Cape Winelands District Municipality, Swartland Municipality, Stellenbosch Municipality, and City of Cape Town, as well as aerial support. The crews managed to bring the fire under control in the early hours of Sunday morning, 1 December 2024.
While firefighters were battling the fire, Drakenstein Municipality's Law Enforcement division received crucial information regarding the alleged cause of the fire.
“Our Law Enforcement division immediately informed SAPS who followed up on all the leads and was able to arrest the suspect on Sunday afternoon. Drakenstein Municipality is giving our full support to the police in the investigation," said Dereck Peceur, Head: Fire and Rescue Operations and Training at Drakenstein Municipality.
According to Peceur, the Municipality's Fire and Rescue Services were notified of a fire on Paarl Mountain near Kloof Street at 11:00 on Saturday, 30 November 2024.
“When our Fire and Rescue Services arrived at the scene and saw the extent of the fire, we informed the Cape Winelands District Municipality which immediately sent a ground crew and aerial support to assist our teams," he said.
At one stage the firefighters were battling fires in four different areas on Paarl Mountain.
“Our focus was to get the fire under control and to protect the properties on the slopes of the mountain. The wind and hot weather conditions also did not help our efforts to quickly extinguish the fire. At around 15:00 on Saturday, we called a Code Red and reached out to neighbouring municipalities to assist us in fighting the blaze."
An Incident Command Centre was set up near Rembrandt Mall in Paarl, while ER24 was stationed near the scene of the fire in case of a medical emergency.
“By Sunday, 1 December 2024, at 6:00 we had the fire under control. Our teams, however, remained on the mountain until Monday, 2 December 2024, to monitor the area for possible flare-ups," said Peceur.
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Issued by: Communication and Marketing, Drakenstein Municipality
