CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) – Cape Town firefighters finally brought a bushfire under control Monday after it swept across the slopes of the city’s famous Table Mountain, torched the university’s historic library and evacuated some had forced quarters.
The smoldering fire is watched for eruptions amid high winds and hot, dry conditions.
The city council said the fire, which started early on Sunday, was ‘largely under control’ more than 24 hours later.
The fire had already badly damaged the library and other buildings on the University of Cape Town campus as well as other historic buildings in the area on Sunday. Fueled by the strong winds, it spread through the wild bush on the mountain slopes to the center of the city and the surrounding residential areas.
One of the mountain’s iconic points overlooking central Cape Town, Devil’s Peak was lit by flames as the fire raged through the night. Residents of mountainside suburbs were evacuated early Monday as the fire drew dangerously close to their homes.
Firefighting helicopters with water containers suspended from ropes had taken water from pools and the nearby ocean and dumped it on the fire. But they went aground on Monday due to high winds.
Four firefighters were injured fighting the fire on the slopes, officials said. The South African Army had offered to assist with some of its aircraft.
“It’s a huge wind blowing, basically feeding the fire to spread in all directions,” said Cape Town Mayor Dan Plato.
A man in his 30s was arrested on charges of arson for starting additional fires, another city official said, but it is not clear whether he was responsible for starting the blaze. The man was arrested after witnesses reported three people went through flames and further fires started, Cape Town safety and security officer JP Smith said.
Smith said the city had commissioned a forensic fire department investigator to investigate the cause.
Forest fires on the mountains surrounding Cape Town are quite common during the hot, dry summer months and sometimes turn into massive, uncontrollable fires from strong coastal winds. Temperatures in Cape Town peaked at 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) on Sunday, and wind hit the city at night and on Monday.
About 250 city and volunteer firefighters were deployed to fight the blaze, damaging four buildings at the University of Cape Town. The Jagger Library’s main reading room, where rare and unique African books and manuscripts were kept, had been gutted and some of its “priceless” works were lost, the university said. Others were rescued after fireproof doors were activated and parts of the library were locked.
Library staff had watched ‘in horror’ from a safe distance as the building burned down, said library director, Ujala Satgoor.
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 were provided to about 4,000 students who had to quickly leave the university campus and their residences. Many of those students were taken to local hotels, the group said. The activities at the university were suspended until at least Wednesday.
The group said it is also providing food and water to the firefighters who had been working for more than 24 hours to control the fire.
Heavy smoke hung over parts of Cape Town and people were advised to cover their mouths and noses with wet towels or rags while evacuating.
Dramatic videos and photos were posted on social media by people getting dangerously close to the fire on the slopes of Table Mountain, which is popular with runners and mountain bikers on weekends.
Lisette Lombard posted a video of herself escaping the fire after going on a trail run on Sunday. She has been seen running out of breath with plumes of smoke rising just behind her. She said her car and others left in a parking lot were completely burned out and she eventually found help from firefighters who came up the mountain.
“When they told me it (the fire) was getting out of hand, the penny noticed how dangerous the situation was and how lucky I was,” she told South Africa’s IOL news website.