Table Mountain fire rages, firefighters continue to work into the night
A fire broke out Sunday in the foothillsof Cape Town's
landmark Table Mountain, destroying a restaurant, quickly spreading to the University of Cape Town.
Hundreds of UCT students had to flee their dormitories on foot along the main road as their library burned.
Table Mountain National Park, which spreads over much of the city's unbuilt area, called on social media for hikers to leave the area and for motorists to remove cars parked in the vicinity.
A first alert went up shortly before 9 am (0700 GMT), the city said.
Three helicopters joined the fight, dumping water on the inferno, the city said.
PLEASE NOTE: All UCT students have been evacuated from campus by emergency services support staff. We have taken them to pre-determined locations. We will continue to work with & support Sanparks & the City of Cape Town to extinguish this fire. Please stay safe first & foremost.
— UCT (@UCT_news) April 18, 2021
#GiftOfTheGivers responds to #UniversityofCapeTown Fuller House (students residence) Fire 🔥
— Gift of the Givers (@GiftoftheGivers) April 18, 2021
Our teams have responded by preparing meals for 4000 students for this evening. UCT has requested #GiftoftheGivers to manage the feeding and other essentials for the next week. pic.twitter.com/a5X4bqKaCE