Fire Table Mountain Under Control - For Now

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Fire Table Mountain Cape Town - the aftermath | Photo 02

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uploaded by Miriam Mannak

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By Miriam Mannak

The blaze that ate itself a way over and along Devil's Peak, Table Mountain's left shoulder has been brought under control, yet firefighters continued monitored the area all through the day. 

About 300 hectares, which form part of Table Mountain National Park, has been completely devastated. Beautiful King Protea bushes - a flower species indigenous to the Cape - have been burnt to the roots. A thick sickening burn smell rose from the blackened soil, which was still hot, when I visited the area.

"It will take years for these plants to recover," a resident of  Vredehoek, a Cape Town suburb perched on the slopes of Devil's Peak, said. He was one of the sixty people who were evacuated by the fire brigade. 

Yesterday's fire injured seven people, including five firemen and two homeless men. The latter two were admitted to hospital with severe third degree burns. "His skin came off when we picked him up," an exhausted fire fighter said last evening. "It was terrible."

It remains unsure what the cause is of the blaze, which started on Tuesday evening at Rhodes Memorial - a monument once erected in memory of imperialist Cecil Rhodes. From there, the fire raged to the other side, threatening the Vredehoek suburb.

Hundreds of fire fighters and volunteers worked through the night to tae the flame. They were assisted by four helicopters, who were water-bombing the fire.