WATCH: Evacuations under way in Vredehoek as strong winds fan Table Mountain fire
By IOL Reporter
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Cape Town - Vredehoek residents in the City Bowl began evacuating their homes early this morning as strong winds picked up at about 2am and keep fanning a fire that started at about 8.45am yesterday and has razed iconic Cape Town landmarks.
City of Cape Town Disaster Risk Management spokesperson Charlotte Powell confirmed that evacuations were under way, with Fire and Rescue vehicles on the scene as the wind speed is predicted to increase throughout the morning. In Vredehoek, Chelmsford Road and Pepper Tree Road have been closed as well as Tafelberg Road, said the City’s Traffic Services spokesperson, Maxine Bezuidenhout.
Additional reporting by Victoria O’Regan
Efforts to contain the out-of-control wildfire that erupted on Table Mountain on Sunday morning at around 8.45 continued throughout the night.
The unforgiving inferno – suspected by the Table Mountain National Park to have been ignited by an unattended vagrant fire – burnt down a restaurant at Rhodes Memorial and damaged multiple buildings at the University of Cape Town (UCT) campus, including the library.
Efforts continue to contain a vegetation fire in the mountain above UCT.
The City of Cape Town is engaging in active firefighting efforts along with TMNP and the Volunteer Wildfire Service.
At this stage, UCT has initiated an evacuation of student residences. #CTNewspic.twitter.com/3qtF6CqcXS
Within 24 hours, the fire that started around Rhodes Memorial spread to UCT’s upper campus and moved to Vredehoek, said JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety and security in a statement.
According to another City of Cape Town statement, at about 2am the wind speed increased, pushing the fire in that direction.
Conditions deteriorated overnight, with the wind picking up and fanning the flames, Anton Bredell, the provincial minister of local government, environmental affairs and development planning, said at 8am.
A flare up right behind the Disa Park Towers, fueled by super strong winds as dawn broke. Photo: Nicky Newman
The Daily Vox
As wildfires in Cape Town continue, forcing evacuations in several areas, many of us are watching in horror, feeling helpless. There is however an urgent need for assistance for those that have been displaced. And supporting these organisations is the best way to help right now.Â
Have we missed anyone? Let us know and weâll add them to this list.
Read more:
The details to donate are as follows:
Account name: UCT Donations Account
Bank: Standard Bank of South Africa
Branch code: Rondebosch Branch, 025009
Account number: 07 152 2387
Swift code: SBZAZAJJ
Donors have been urged to include their name if they wish, as well as the purpose/reference for the donation (#UCTFire).
A message posted on the UCT Libraries Facebook page from Ujala Satgoor, Executive Director of Libraries, said: At this stage, we can confirm the Reading Room is completely gutted and thankfully the fire detection system in place triggered the fire shutters thereby preventing the spread of the fire to other parts of the Library. Some of our valuable collections have been lost, however a full assessment can only be done once the building has been declared safe and we can enter the building.
Student evacuation
A release issued by UCT last night established that emergency accommodation was being arranged for students evacuated from residences.