Hero firefighter airlifted from Table Mountain

John Maytham speaks to David Nel, a spokesperson at Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR).

Listen below.

On Sunday afternoon (29 December 2024) along Table Mountain's Platteklip Gorge trail and Contour Path, a 30-year-old NCC Environmental Services firefighter was injured while he and his team were making their way up Union Ravine to fight a fire when he slipped and fell on his knee, unable to move.

Arson is suspected.

Shortly after the fire started on Table Mountain, specialist teams of professionals and volunteers from Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) Western Cape responded to assist their peers.

A small team on board the Western Cape Government Health and Wellness EMS / Air Mercy Service (AMS) rescue helicopter was flown to the scene to a point close to the injured firefighter.

The injured firefighter was treated by a paramedic and helped into a rescue harness before being hoisted from the mountain and flown to a nearby landing zone where he was carried to an ambulance and driven to a hospital.

SANParks also said in a post on X, "As a result, the Platteklip Gorge trail is temporarily closed. Visitors are advised not to proceed beyond the upper cable station area for safety reasons."

"We have broken records this year. They're the wrong kinds of records but with the incident of Sunday, we topped 250 incidents for the year for the first time."

- David Nel, Wilderness Search and Rescue

"We continue to see people underestimate the terrain and how dangerous activity in hot conditions can actually be and, unfortunately, not carrying sufficient water."

- David Nel, Wilderness Search and Rescue

"... An ongoing project... is to educate the public about the ongoing risk of outdoor activities in these hot conditions... firefighters and their ability to work in hotter environments, wearing heavy equipment and working harder. So, I come back to how amazing and incredible these crews are."

- David Nel, Wilderness Search and Rescue

The NCC, Firewatch Cape Town and Wilderness Search and Rescue also posted an update about the firefighter's sustained injury on their Facebook page.

The caption of the post read, "We are happy to report that he has received treatment at a medical facility and the fall did not fracture any bones, it only caused a very painful contusion that left him unable to continue his work.  He will be given as much time as needed to heal so that he can get back to what he loves doing as soon as he can."

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.