A wildfire that broke out on Table Mountain in Cape Town on Sunday, April 18 has caused irreparable damage to the fauna and flora on and around the mountain.
Credit: Twitter
Firefighting crews from the City of Cape Town, Working on Fire and Table Mountain National Park are currently fighting the raging fire destroying the Table Mountain vegetation.
‘There’s a lot of wind and that makes everything more difficult. It is really hard to fight fire in strong wind as the risks are so high. People often say they pray for rain but rain doesn’t always help, in fact, it can make things worse. Pray for the wind to die down, then we can go in to fight the fire with confidence,’ a volunteer firefighter told Getaway Magazine.
‘Driving into the chaos to start our shift was pretty scary last night, going past tall pine trees that had been semi burnt and hoping they didn’t fall. But our guys know their stuff and minimize risks as much as possible.
The firefighter said that morale among firefighters was good. ‘We’re all in it together and while one might be a CEO in his day job, another a mechanic and another a student, when we put on our uniforms we’re all equal, working together to save our city.’
Mountain animals may run to escape the fire, therefore people are urged to drive carefully and those in surrounding areas are asked to leave out bowls of water and to stay in contact with the SPCA.
Credit: Anton Crone
The Cape of Good Hope SPCA Cape Town has asked Capetonians near to the fire in Newlands to place shallow containers with water in their gardens for animals that might come down the mountain after the Fire. All calls to be made to 083 3261604 – open 24/7. Animals will be taken in.
SANParks estimates that around 500 hectares of wildland have been destroyed.
— Rhombus Media RSA (@RhombusMediaRSA) April 18, 2021
#CapeTownFire #CapeTownFires #CapeTown
Upper Vredehoek, Deer Park & Oranjezicht on high alert. Residents on the edge of the reserve have been evacuated since 4am this morning. pic.twitter.com/1KKYxcDE02— Ian Gordon (@ifgordon) April 19, 2021
The fire has spread overnight and still seems to be out of control. Due to the strong winds on Monday morning, it has reached Vredehoek leaving residents evacuating their homes for safety.
All roads remain closed around the University of Cape Town as a third fire has broken out on De Waal Drive. The blaze has already gutted at least three buildings on the campus, including the library. #CapeTownFires #sabcnews https://t.co/9lzJPwqV3N
— SABC News (@SABCNews) April 19, 2021
All roads surrounding the University of Cape Town were closed down due to a third fire outbreak that is believed to have been started intentionally.
Ward Councillor Nicole Jewell posted on Facebook revealing that witnesses reported seeing three people purposefully starting the third fire on Sunday night. It has been confirmed that a suspect has been arrested and is in the custody of the police.
Phillip Prins of the Table Mountain National Park agrees that the third fire was no accident.
No fatalities have been reported.
PICTURE: Twitter
