CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) – Firefighters in Cape Town finally brought a wildfire under control on Monday after sweeping over the slopes of the city’s famous Table Mountain, burning down the university’s historic library and forcing the evacuation of some neighborhoods has.
The smoldering fire is being watched amid strong winds and hot, dry conditions.
City officials said the fire, which broke out early Sunday, was “largely curtailed” more than 24 hours later.
The fire severely damaged the library and other buildings on the campus of the University of Cape Town on Sunday, as well as other historic buildings nearby. Fueled by the strong wind, it spreads through the wild forest on the mountain slopes towards the city center and the surrounding residential areas.
Devil’s Peak, one of the iconic points of the mountain overlooking Cape Town city center, was lit by flames as the fire raged through the night. Residents of suburbs on the mountain slopes were evacuated early Monday because the fire came dangerously close to their homes.
Fire-fighting helicopters with water containers on ropes hang water from swimming pools and the nearby ocean and throw it on the fire. But they were on the ground on Monday due to the strong wind.
Four firefighters were injured while fighting on the slopes, officials said. The South African army offered to help with some of its aircraft.
“It’s a massive wind blowing, causing the fire to spread in every direction,” said Dan Plato, mayor of Cape Town.
A man in his thirties has been arrested on fire for setting additional fires, another city official said, but it is not clear if he was responsible for starting the fire. The man, Cape Town’s security and safety officer, arrested the man after witnesses reported seeing three people moving through flames, causing more fires to burn.
Smith said the city has instructed a forensic fire investigator to investigate the cause.
Wildfires in the mountains around Cape Town are quite common during the hot, dry summer months and are sometimes thrown up by strong coastal winds into large, uncontrollable flames. The temperature in Cape Town reached a high of 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) on Sunday and the wind hit the city overnight and Monday.
About 250 city and volunteer firefighters were deployed to fight the blaze, which damaged four buildings at the University of Cape Town. The University’s main reading room of Jagger Library, where rare and unique African books and manuscripts have been preserved, has been cleared away and some of the “priceless” works have been lost, the university said. Others were rescued after fire doors were activated and parts of the library sealed.
Ujala Satgoor, library staff, watched at a safe distance ‘terrified’ as the building burned down, an executive director of the library.
A windmill, built in 1796, and a restaurant near a memorial to British colonial politician Cecil Rhodes also burned down.
According to Gift of the Givers, a disaster response organization, the university was completely evacuated and closed and meals are provided for approximately 4,000 students who had to leave the university campus and their residences quickly. Many of the students were taken to local hotels, the group said. The activities at the university have been suspended until at least Wednesday.
The group said they also provided food and water to firefighters who worked longer than 24 hours to control the fire.
Heavy smoke hung over parts of Cape Town and people are advised to cover their mouths and noses with wet towels or cloths while evacuating.
Dramatic videos and photos were posted on social media by people who came dangerously close to the fire on the slopes of Table Mountain, which is popular with runners and mountain bikers this weekend.
Lisette Lombard posted a video of herself escaping the fire after she was on the trail Sunday. She is running, breathless, while plumes of smoke rise near her. She said her car and others left in a parking lot were completely burned out and she eventually got help from firefighters coming up the mountain.
“When they told me that it (the fire) was out of control, the penny noticed how dangerous the situation was and how happy I was,” she told the South African IOL news website.