I sit here in my comfortable house, the children fast asleep, sharing my time between CSI, the internet & the radio. Just a normal Thursday night, except I don't usually have the radio on. I have it on to keep tabs with what is going on less than a kilometer up the road.

Our mountain is burning, set alight, almost certainly by an arsonist. But that's a whole different discussion, for another day. Right now I am extremely thankful for the group of firefighters, paid and volunteers, that are manning the mountains.
While my abode is not far from the flames, realistically I can say with a reasonable amount of certainty that it is not in any danger of getting in the flames path. However it would be impossible for me to get any rest knowing that others in my suburb stood a chance of losing their homes.

Its because of these heros I can sleep. They will not. They will battle in the gale force winds outside I want to use to power my house. They will battle the flames. They will watch as hectares of vegetation dissappear and the flames march on. And they will put their limbs and lives on the line to ensure peoples properties are kept safe.

I salute you all, may God bless and keep you safe.

Update : Inhabitants in neighbouring suburb, Ocean View are on high alert to evacuate should the fire, currently out of control reach them during the course of the evening

For more info : CapeTalk Radio's home page & live news broadcasts are updates regularly

For how to help : Cape Volunteer Wildfire Services

(Pics below taken from the back garden, I like to make sure that I do not get in the way of the emergency vehicles, as too many gawkers tend to do)

Labels: cape town, eish, fire, firefighters, volunteer

Posted by roygbiv on Thursday, February 7, 2008 at 11:07 PM | Permalink