Fire Department Contact Details

South Africa has no single national fire brigade number: fire services are run by municipalities, so the number depends on where you are. From any cellphone, dial 112, which is toll-free on all networks and connects you to an emergency operator. In the big metros, the fire brigade numbers are 011 375 5911 in Johannesburg, 107 in Tshwane, 011 458 0911 in Ekurhuleni, 031 361 0000 in eThekwini (Durban) and 021 480 7700 in Cape Town. The national emergency number 10177 is also listed by Ekurhuleni for life-threatening emergencies. Each number below was read from the municipality’s own website on 14 September 2026.

Official contact channels

Fire brigade numbers by city

Area	Fire and emergency number	What the municipality says
Any cellphone, anywhere in South Africa	112	Toll-free, all networks
City of Johannesburg	011 375 5911	Emergency Connect, 24 hours: fire engines, ambulances and metro police
City of Tshwane	107	Toll-free number for Emergency Services Department services
City of Ekurhuleni	011 458 0911, 10177 or 112	Life-threatening emergency line for fire and rescue
eThekwini (Durban)	031 361 0000	Emergency Response Call Centre, 24 hours: metro police, fire and disaster
City of Cape Town	021 480 7700	Toll-free emergency number directing calls to police, fire or ambulance

What this organisation provides

Johannesburg fire brigade

The City of Johannesburg’s Emergency Connect number, 011 375 5911, is a single 24-hour call centre for any life-threatening situation, including fires. The City says trained call agents take your details and pass them to a dispatcher in Emergency Management Services or the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department, who sends the nearest fire engine, ambulance, rescue vehicle or metro police. The same number can alert the fire brigade, ambulance service, traffic officers and metro police in your area.

Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Durban and Cape Town

The City of Tshwane reminds residents to phone 107, toll-free, for its Emergency Services Department, which handles fires, rescues and vehicle accidents. In Ekurhuleni, the Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) department handles fire and rescue, and the City lists 011 458 0911 as its life-threatening emergency line, alongside 10177 and 112 from a cellphone. eThekwini’s Fire and Emergency Services page lists the Emergency Response Call Centre on 031 361 0000, open 24 hours for metro police, fire and disaster, with Disaster Management on 031 367 0000 on weekdays. In Cape Town, the City’s toll-free emergency number 021 480 7700 routes calls to police, fire or ambulance services.

Address and operating information

Smaller towns and rural areas

Outside the metros, fire services are provided by the local or district municipality, and each publishes its own emergency number on its website or municipal account. If you do not know the local number, call 112 from a cellphone and ask for the fire service; the operator will route your call. It is worth saving your own municipality’s fire number in your phone before you need it, especially if you live on a farm, smallholding or in an area where response vehicles may have to travel far.

Of the metro numbers above, the Johannesburg and eThekwini emergency call centres are listed as open 24 hours, while eThekwini’s Disaster Management line works on weekdays only.

Support and escalation routes

What to tell the fire brigade

• Your address: eThekwini asks for the town or suburb, street, house number and nearest cross road, plus well-known features nearby such as a school, church, shopping centre or police station.
• Injuries: whether anyone has been burnt or injured.
• Your phone number: so the operator can call you back if the line drops, as the City of Cape Town and SAPS advise for all emergency calls.
• Stay on the line: let the operator ask their questions and guide the call.

What to do when a fire starts

eThekwini Fire and Emergency Services gives this advice: get out of the building that is on fire; call the fire brigade; do not go back into the building; wait for the fire brigade to arrive and direct them to the fire; and only try to put the fire out if you can do so safely, without putting yourself at risk. If your clothes catch fire, stop running, drop to the ground and roll. Treat a burn by running cold water over the whole burnt area, and get medical help.

Preventing fires at home

eThekwini notes that people start most fires, usually by accident. Its common causes include faulty electrical circuits or appliances, food left unattended on the stove, careless use of flammable liquids or gas, and candles and paraffin stoves being knocked over. Keep heaters, candles, stoves, cooking fires and matches away from bedding, clothes, curtains, cushions, carpets, paraffin and gas, and never leave a fire unattended once it has started. For other emergencies, the national numbers are 10111 for the police and 10177 for an ambulance.

Sources

• City of Johannesburg, Emergency Connect: 011 375 5911, joburg.org.za, read 14 September 2026
• City of Tshwane Emergency Services Department news statement, tshwane.gov.za, read 14 September 2026
• City of Ekurhuleni, “Know your life-threatening emergency services number”, ekurhuleni.gov.za, read 14 September 2026
• eThekwini Municipality, Public Safety and Emergency Services page, durban.gov.za, read 14 September 2026
• City of Cape Town emergency contact numbers, capetown.gov.za, read 14 September 2026