Latest news with #VWS
The Citizen
16-06-2025
- Climate
- The Citizen
Watch: Firefighters contain part of Table Mountain blaze as winds hamper efforts
It is all hands on deck as crews from SANParks, Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS), NCC Wildfire Services, and the City of Cape Town Fire & Rescue battle a fire in Table Mountain National Park. According to the latest update on the park's Facebook page – posted 13 hours ago – a fire above Boyes Drive and in Peck's Valley remained active. 'The left flank of the fire has been contained in areas accessible on foot, while the right flank in Peck's Valley continues to burn downhill towards the road. Efforts are currently focused on slowing the fire's downhill progression.' The update noted that Boyes Drive remains closed to the public. 'Members of the public and hikers are strongly urged to avoid the surrounding trails until further notice. The fire was first reported at about 08:30 [yesterday], and two fire crews were immediately mobilised. VWS were mobilised about 45 minutes after this. The City fire resources were also mobilised. The fire is being driven by a strong and variable wind which makes conditions difficult for the ground crews to fight.' Watch the videos: The blaze comes less than two months after a fire raged in the Silvermine section of the park, between Tokai and Noordhoek in the southern peninsula. In a Facebook post last Sunday, SANParks announced that trails closed in Tokai and Silvermine East (including Kalk Bay, St James, Muizenberg mountains and the Steenberg Plateau) will reopen on July 1. 'The Silvermine picnic site and boardwalk around the dam and as well as the riverwalk and other trails will remain closed as all the infrastructure at Silvermine West has been damaged and the ablution blocks burnt down. Infrastructure repairs will take some time and we will not be able to open the picnic area while there are no toilets.'
IOL News
15-06-2025
- Climate
- IOL News
Firefighters tackle Boyes Drive fire
Firefighting teams from SANParks, Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS), and the City of Cape Town Fire & Rescue are currently tending to the fire that broke out above Boyes Drive on Sunday morning. Multiple firefighting teams from SANParks, Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS), and the City of Cape Town Fire & Rescue were tending to a fire that broke out above Boyes Drive on Sunday morning. Spokesperson for City Fire and Rescue Service, Jermaine Carelse, said that they received an emergency call at 8.30am on Sunday informing them of mountain slopes being alight above Boyes Drive. 'Several resources were dispatched to the scene as well as the IMT type 4 to co-ordinate operational functions. The right flank was quickly secured, however, the concern is the left flank, which is slowly spreading towards Kalk Bay. 'We are being assisted by TMNP and Volunteer Wildfire Services in our efforts to get the fire under control,' Carelse said. 'At this stage, we cannot give a definitive answer as to how long it will take to extinguish the blaze.'
Time Out
15-06-2025
- Climate
- Time Out
Boyes Drive closed as fires burn above Kalk Bay and St James
Boyes Drive, the scenic route above the False Bay coastline, is closed to traffic following a fire that is still burning along the left flank of Kalk Bay and St James. The fire broke out earlier on Sunday morning, prompting a full-scale response from multiple firefighting agencies, including SANParks, Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS), and the City of Cape Town Fire & Rescue Service. Crews were quickly dispatched to the area and managed to contain about 90% of the fire. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Wade Schouw (@wade_schouw1) This is the second fire in the area, following the devastating fires over the Freedom Day long weekend in April. Approximately 2,800 hectares of natural vegetation and foliage across trails in Tokai and Silvermine East, including routes around Kalk Bay, St James, Muizenberg, and the Steenberg Plateau, were affected and remain closed to hikers and visitors. Following today's fire, Boyes Drive remains closed to the public until further notice to ensure public safety and allow uninterrupted access for emergency vehicles and personnel. Residents and visitors are advised to stay away from the area and to follow updates from official channels.
The South African
21-04-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Firefighters help raise R230 000 for wildfire services in Two Oceans run
The City of Cape Town has announced that the 2025 Two Oceans Marathon charity has raised R230 000 in support of Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS). This contribution will assist in the replacement of a critical operational vehicle used in the region's wildfire response efforts. A dedicated team of City firefighters – Renaldo Duncan, Liam Gannon, Thomas Lennon, and former Springbok hooker James Dalton – took part in the event two weeks ago, representing a powerful commitment to both community and environmental safety. This initiative, which began as a friendly challenge in 2017, has grown into an annual tradition that showcases the essential role of VWS in combating bushfires, particularly in light of increasingly severe fire seasons across the Western Cape. The City extended a special message of thanks to the participating runners and donors, saying: 'A shout out to our runners, Jermaine Carelse, Renaldo Duncan, Liam Gannon, Thomas Lennon, and former Springbok, James Dalton! And a word of appreciation to all who donated to the cause, especially Santam for their generous R100 000 donation. We see you, we thank you, and we couldn't have done it without you.' Carelse and Duncan, longstanding champions of the initiative, once again completed the race in full firefighting gear, adding an additional 10kg to their run in a symbolic gesture of their frontline commitment. The need for such support is underscored by recent fire statistics: Between October 2024 and 12 March 2025, the Western Cape recorded 9 498 non-structural fires, up from 9 135 the previous year. Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, emphasised the value of collaboration in these efforts. 'The partnerships we have with other firefighting entities like VWS are critical to our efforts to protect Cape Town. The generosity shown by participants and donors this year ensures we can continue to equip our firefighting teams with the resources they need to face a growing threat.' The City thanks all those who contributed to this year's campaign and looks forward to continuing this impactful tradition in the years to come. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Some CA condors raise chicks in trios, not pairs. Inside ‘cooperative breeding'
California Condors, among other bird species — woodpeckers, scrub jays, raptors, et al — engage in the noteworthy concept of 'cooperative breeding,' when three individuals help to raise a chick in a single nest. Between 2001 and 2023, of the 52 nesting condor pairs identified in the Central California flock (Big Sur, San Simeon and Pinnacles) five were 'trios.' Four of those trios consisted of two males and a female; one had two females and a male raising a chick. Typically, all three birds share in the incubation of the egg and the feeding and care of the chick prior to the chick fledging, or leaving the nest. In her research, Ventana Wildlife Society biologist Danae Mouton reports that cooperative breeding is 'probably understudied and underreported among raptors' and other species. That makes condors, who are scavengers and eat only dead animals, ideal candidates for the study of trios. Each condor (with their 9-and-a-half-foot wingspans) have either GPS, or radio telemetry attached to its wing; hence behaviors, movements and nesting dynamics are readily documented. 'We have birds up to 27 years old — and as young as 5 years old – who have engaged in cooperative breeding,' according to Mouton. Comparing the nesting success rate between pairs of two condors and trios, 'the hatching and fledging rates are pretty similar,' she continued. Also, in her research, trios showed 'increased reproductive success and nest territory quality.' What interested Mouton, she said, was that trios generally remain intact for about two years. And 'In 86% of trios that disbanded, the two remaining members stayed together as a pair.' Data used by Mouton shows that 72% of disbandment cases resulted from the death of a member, from lead poisoning in many cases. Fourteen percent of breakups were due to illness and 14% were due to unknown causes. Besides their sharing of chick-raising responsibilities, trios 'act and behave just like a pair would do,' Mouton said. All three are known to take to the air together in a 'pair flight, to reinforce their social bonds and protect their territory against predators.' Having three adults in the nest frees up one of the birds 'to kind of maintain the social status within the social hierarchy of the flock,' Mouton said. In its monthly online 'Condor Chat' for March, Ventana Wildlife Society Biologist Kara Fadden said 70% of the Central California Flock has now been vaccinated against the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) with one dose. And 50% of the flock has received two doses of the vaccine, which was developed specifically for condors following the tragic deaths (from HPAI) of 25 condors in the Utah-Arizona flock. 'We will continue to trap condors, including untagged chicks, for their HPAI vaccinations,' Fadden explained. However, VWS will not trap and vaccinate 'breeding age females during nesting season,' she added. The total condor population in the Central California flock is now 112 birds. After four deaths in 2024, two confirmed as lead poisoning victims, there has been just a single mortality in 2025 — again, lead poisoning. Meantime, four condors are missing in the wild, and are not counted as having perished until their mortality is documented. For more condor information: visit
