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Table Mountain fire "largely contained", but danger remains: provincial gov't
By Xinhua Published: Apr 21, 2021 09:28 AM
Smoke rises from Table Mountain near Vredehoek, Cape Town, South Africa, on April 20, 2021. The wildfire that broke out on South Africa's iconic Table Mountain on Sunday morning has been largely contained but the danger remains, the Western Cape provincial government said in a statement Tuesday.(Photo: Xinhua)

Smoke rises from Table Mountain near Vredehoek, Cape Town, South Africa, on April 20, 2021. The wildfire that broke out on South Africa's iconic Table Mountain on Sunday morning has been largely contained but the danger remains, the Western Cape provincial government said in a statement Tuesday.(Photo: Xinhua)


 
Smoke rises from Table Mountain near Vredehoek, Cape Town, South Africa, on April 20, 2021. The wildfire that broke out on South Africa's iconic Table Mountain on Sunday morning has been largely contained but the danger remains, the Western Cape provincial government said in a statement Tuesday.(Photo: Xinhua)

Smoke rises from Table Mountain near Vredehoek, Cape Town, South Africa, on April 20, 2021. The wildfire that broke out on South Africa's iconic Table Mountain on Sunday morning has been largely contained but the danger remains, the Western Cape provincial government said in a statement Tuesday.(Photo: Xinhua)


 
A helicopter flies to put out a wildfire near Vredehoek, Cape Town, South Africa, on April 20, 2021. The wildfire that broke out on South Africa's iconic Table Mountain on Sunday morning has been largely contained but the danger remains, the Western Cape provincial government said in a statement Tuesday.(Photo: Xinhua)

A helicopter flies to put out a wildfire near Vredehoek, Cape Town, South Africa, on April 20, 2021. The wildfire that broke out on South Africa's iconic Table Mountain on Sunday morning has been largely contained but the danger remains, the Western Cape provincial government said in a statement Tuesday.(Photo: Xinhua)


 
Smoke rises from Table Mountain near Vredehoek, Cape Town, South Africa, on April 20, 2021. The wildfire that broke out on South Africa's iconic Table Mountain on Sunday morning has been largely contained but the danger remains, the Western Cape provincial government said in a statement Tuesday.(Photo: Xinhua)

Smoke rises from Table Mountain near Vredehoek, Cape Town, South Africa, on April 20, 2021. The wildfire that broke out on South Africa's iconic Table Mountain on Sunday morning has been largely contained but the danger remains, the Western Cape provincial government said in a statement Tuesday.(Photo: Xinhua)


 
The wildfire that broke out on South Africa's iconic Table Mountain on Sunday morning has been largely contained but the danger remains, the Western Cape provincial government said in a statement Tuesday.

Nine civilians were taken to hospital with breathing challenges after smoke inhalation and six firefighters sustained injuries in the line of duty, it said in an update on the fire.

Fully extinguishing all of the fire lines is still the government's first priority, Western Cape's head of environmental affairs said in the update, adding that over the next few days firefighters will continue to dampen down the affected areas and monitor for flareups until the government is completely sure that the fire is out.

The Table Mountain National Park later confirmed that the fire has been successfully contained by 1:30 p.m. local time (11:30 a.m. GMT).

Five helicopters have been able to waterbomb the fire lines since 7:00 a.m. after the wind dropped significantly overnight, working together with over 150 firefighters in Cape Town's City Bowl area, where the city center is located.

The fire, which initially started in the vicinity of Rhodes Memorial, has spread towards the Vredehoek area in City Bowl after reaching the University of Cape Town (UCT).

Damage assessments will be done later and once the fire has been extinguished, the investigation into the cause of the fire will be conducted, according to the government.

The latest official figures show that a total of eleven structures were damaged or destroyed by the fire, including six buildings on the UCT and the Mostert's Mill built around 1796.

The university's library, the Jagger Reading Room constructed in the 1930s, is "completely gutted" and some of its valuable collections have lost, according to Ujala Satgoor, Executive Director of the UCT library.

South African National Parks estimated that roughly 400 hectares of wildland have been destroyed.

Both officials and citizens expressed their gratitude towards firefighters over the past three days, and non-governmental organizations, private businesses, and residents voluntarily made donations including drinks and energy bars to them.