Wildfire was set ablaze on Cape Town’s Table mountain and University of Cape Town’s archival Library on Monday. Fire fighters were trying their best to put out the fire. The fire also made people to evacuate their houses immediately.
According to some sources, the fire was set due to some abandoned fire on Sunday and it rapidly spread due to the wind. The foot of the hill started to burn which further started to spread causing people to evacuate their homes on Monday. The attempts were made by the helicopters as well to put out the fire by pouring water over the flames.
The blaze started on the lower elevations of Devil’s Peak, one of several rough grooves that form the basis of Cape Town’s famous Table Mountain backdrop, about 9 a.m. Sunday. The fire, ignited by strong winds, consumed and damaged a mountainside cafe before spreading to the college campus, which is largely constructed on the mountain’s slopes.
The in charge of developmental affairs said, “The wind speed is expected to increase during the day, which may impact on the deployment of aerial firefighting.” He furthermore added that the helicopters can not fly if the wind increases and due to the poor visibility. But he assured that proper steps will be taken after assessing the situation.
One man was arrested, who according to the police, is suspected to be connected to this wildfire. Fortunately, no casualty is reported yet but 5 fire fighters were injured during the rescue process.
“About 4000 students of the University were evacuated as soon as possible on Sunday and all the academic activities were suspended till Tuesday”, said the spokesperson of the University.
All the historic mill and books kept in the University Library were burnt, buildings were damaged. The city almost got covered with the thick white smoke of the fire. According to them, some valuable assets have been lost which can be further assessed once the building is declared to be safe.
The wildfire is one of the major reasons that the resources are getting destroyed these days. The combustible vegetation including pine and gum trees, is likely to be the reason for the wildfires!
