Nine civilians were taken to hospital with respiratory problems following the devastating fire that has raged the slopes of Table Mountain since Sunday, April 18. The wildfire that destroyed 11 structures in total was finally contained on Wednesday, April 20. This containment came after dozens of firefighters from several agencies had been working around the clock to blaze the inferno. Six buildings at the University of Cape Town (UCT), including the Jagger library, two heritage buildings, the Mostert’s Mill and a restaurant at Rhodes Memorial were also destroyed by the fire. Six firefighters also sustained minor injuries in the line of duty.
The downscaling of resources started yesterday evening and only a few Fire crews are currently monitoring the situation around the UCT, Philip Kgosana Drive and Deer Park areas.
The monitoring operations will continue throughout the week.
— City of Cape Town (@CityofCT) April 21, 2021
EWN reports that acting chief fire officer, Clinton Manuel, said forensic investigators had yet to establish the cause of the runaway fire.”We can only focus on the investigation once we have extinguished the fire and collected footage, all those things need to be looked at,” Manuel said.
It is alleged a minister’s residence in Newlands was also destroyed by the fire, and relatives of three members of the executive were evacuated from their Walmer Estate properties as the fire approached the residence of Vice President David Mabuza, UK Time News reported. Meanwhile, the man who was arrested for allegedly starting the fire made his first appearance in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, April 20.
Picture: WikiMedia Commons
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