CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Apr 21 2021 (IPS) - Cape Town-based photojournalist Yazeed Kamaldien reported on a massive mountain fire that broke out on Sunday on Table Mountain and near residential areas on its foothills. By this morning, Wednesday 21 April, officials said the fire had been extinguished after three grueling days for firefighters. Firefighters are still monitoring on the ground for any flare-ups.
South African National Parks, which manages the Table Mountain area, estimates that the fire destroyed 600 hectares of land. A total 135 firefighters were dispatched along with 125 mountain rangers and an additional 170 fire and rescue workers.
While there were no deaths in the blaze, at least 4,000 students from the University of Cape Town were evacuated from their university residences. Locals have been assisting students with meals and other necessities.
The Daily Vox
On the morning of 18 April 2021, a fire started near Rhodes Memorial, Devil’s Peak in Table Mountain National Park. Driven by strong winds, it reached the University of Cape Town?s (UCT) Rondebosch campus. The building worst affected by the fire was the Jagger Reading Room, which was home to the significant African Studies Collection, which was started in 1953.
The full extent of the loss is not known. The images weâve seen give us some idea of the devastation. The executive director of the UCT Libraries, Ujala Satgoor has confirmed that the reading room of the Jagger Library is âguttedâ but luckily the fire detection system in place triggered the fire shutters which prevented the spread of the fire to other parts of the library.Â
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Most UCT students back at res after fire, academic programme resumes on Monday
24 April 2021 9:48 AM
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UCT will resume all academic activities on Monday after the Table Mountain fire that affected large parts of the university s upper campus.
UCT spokesperson Elijah Moholola says most students returned to their residences on Thursday, except for students from Fuller Hall and Smuts Hall, which were badly damaged by the fires.
Around 4,000 students had to evacuate their rooms when the fire spread on Sunday last week. They were provided with temporary accommodation at hotel groups across the city.
Moholola says students have been offered counselling support as they try to adjust to campus life after the devastating fire.
Firefighters battle the blaze at the HM Pearson, Fuller and Jagger Library buildings at the University of Cape Town s Rondebosch campus on Sunday 18 April.
A study prepared for the University of Cape Town (UCT) in 2012 said the forest area of the university had not been proactively managed and recommended urgent intervention not only to protect the environment, but also to reduce risk of a massive flare-up.
The report s relevance is once again being discussed almost a decade later, after a massive mountain fire devoured parts of the mountain on Sunday, leaving six firefighters injured, while at least nine people were treated for smoke inhalation.