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2021 Table Mountain fire

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2021 Cape Town fire
Fire trucks on the Hospital Bend interchange going into the City Bowl on 19 April
Date(s)18 April 2021; 3 years ago (2021-04-18)
08:45 SAST (06:45 UTC)
LocationTable Mountain National Park and Southern Suburbs, Cape Town, South Africa
Statistics
Burned areaat least 400 hectares
Land useNational park, university, suburban area
Impacts
Non-fatal injuries5
Map

The 2021 Table Mountain fire (also known as the Rhodes Memorial fire or Cape Town fire) is a major fire that started on 18 April 2021 in and around Table Mountain National Park and the neighbourhoods of Newlands, Rosebank, Mowbray and Rondebosch in Cape Town, South Africa. The damage to sites in the Table Mountain area included the Rhodes Memorial, where a restaurant burned down; the upper campus of the University of Cape Town (UCT), where the Special Collections library was gutted; and Mostert's Mill, a historic windmill that burned down. In addition, five firefighters were hospitalised.

Fire and response

The wildfire started on the morning of 18 April 2021 near Rhodes Memorial, Devil's Peak in Table Mountain National Park. Firefighters were alerted at 08:45 SAST (06:45 UTC). The fire was reported to have been started by a vagrant, and spread through old pine trees and debris, generating its own wind, towards the university campus and city. There was an extreme fire danger alert on the same day, with high temperature and low humidity.

Initially, the resulting smoke and wind updrafts caused by the fire prevented aerial firefighting support from being deployed. Later, over 250 firefighters were involved in fighting the fire and four helicopters were used to drop water onto the fire.

By 14:10 SAST, students at the University of Cape Town were evacuated. Official warnings were issued for hikers in the Newlands Forest area of Table Mountain National Park to also evacuate. At 16:05 SAST, South African National Parks (SANParks) announced that the restaurant at Rhodes Memorial had been destroyed in the fire. The M3 road was also closed, with the fire spreading to the other side of it.

On 19 April 2021 (8:00 SAST) homes in the Vredehoek, Walmer Estate and University Estate area of Cape Town were evacuated as a precautionary measure. This included the evacuation of the Disa Park residential complex.

By 15:00 SAST on 19 April, firefighters reported that the fire had been "largely contained".

Casualties and damage

Mostert's Mill in 2012 and the Jagger Library (which houses UCT's Special Collections) in 2015

Firefighters

On 19 April Western Cape Premier Alan Winde stated that a total of five firefighters were hospitalised. At least four of them were hospitalised due to burn injuries.

Rhodes Memorial

The fire burnt down a restaurant at the Rhodes Memorial.

External images
image icon Remains of Jagger Reading Room
image icon Remains of Mostert's Mill

University of Cape Town

Three structures at the campus of the University of Cape Town suffered damage. Also affected was the special collections department of the UCT Libraries system, housed in Jagger Library, part of the research wing of UCT's main library. Although a fire detection system prevented the fire from reaching the rest of the main library, the reading room of Jagger Library was gutted by the flames, and some of the rare collections in the special collections department, which held over 1,300 collections and over 85,000 books and other items, were likely lost.

H.W. Pearson building caught on fire, although the Bolus Herbarium housed within narrowly escaped destruction. Cadboll House, an administrative building, was also badly burnt.

Mostert's Mill

The fire also destroyed the Mostert's Mill, the oldest working windmill in South Africa, built in 1796, and four thatched cottages behind it.

Aftermath

UCT vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng suspended all academic activities for the two days following the start of the fire. Phakeng says some students could be back in their residences in the next 72 hours, except Smuts and Fuller Halls.

Investigation

On 18 April at 20:10 SAST, a 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of starting the blaze.

City of Cape Town mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith stated that the City of Cape Town had received a number of eye witness accounts of "three people walking through the bush, with fires starting as they’re going."

See also

References

  1. ^ Walters, Tiara (19 April 2021). "PYROCENE CAPE: Our Burning Mountain: Blaze lays siege to Cape Town for third consecutive day". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  2. ^ Charles, Marvin. "UPDATE | Rhodes memorial fire: Firefighter injured, UCT evacuates students as runaway veldfire rages on". News24.
  3. ^ Hendricks, Ashraf; Stent, James; Geffen, Nathan. "In photos: the grim aftermath of Cape Town's fire". GroundUp. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  4. "DEVELOPING | Cape Town fire 'not out of the woods yet', UCT suspends classes until 23 April". News24. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  5. ^ Meyer, Warda. "Runaway veld fire: Rhodes Memorial restaurant damaged, hikers and visitors urged to evacuate". News24. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Table Mountain fire 'burns out of control' in Cape Town". BBC News. 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Watch | Cape Town fire: Dreadful scenes as UCT Library goes up in flames". The South African. 18 April 2021.
  8. Reuters (18 April 2021). "Table Mountain Wildfire Threatens University of Cape Town". US News. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "Two firefighters hospitalised as Cape Town heritage gems including Mostert Mill and UCT library gutted". TimesLIVE.
  10. Tembo, Theolin (18 April 2021). "Cause of Rhodes Memorial blaze believed to be an unattended vagrant fire". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 18 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ Wroughton, Lesley. "South Africa wildfire burns University of Cape Town, library of antiquities". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  12. "Cape Town wildfire forces evacuation of university students". www.shropshirestar.com. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  13. ^ Walters, Tiara (18 April 2021). "NEWSFLASH: Pyrocene Cape II: 'Out-of-control' Table Mountain fire forces UCT evacuation". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  14. Mlamla, Sisonke (18 April 2021). "UCT students, staff evacuated as out of control fire rages on by Rhodes Memorial". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 18 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. "WATCH | In the heart of the runaway Rhodes Memorial fire with hikers, joggers and firefighters". TimesLIVE. 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ "Rhodes Memorial Restaurant has burnt down, confirms Table Mountain National Park". www.iol.co.za.
  17. ^ McCain, Nicole. "Man arrested as City of Cape Town investigates arson in Table Mountain blaze". News24. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  18. ^ Keeton, Claire. "UPDATE Cape Town fire 'largely contained at this stage'". Times Live. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  19. "Cape Town firefighters continue to battle blaze | eNCA". www.enca.com. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  20. Ehlinger, Maija; Formanek, Ingrid; Dean, Sarah; Paget, Sharif. "'Out of control' fire breaks out in Cape Town's Table Mountain National Park". CNN Travel. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  21. "Library Maps | UCT Libraries". www.lib.uct.ac.za. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021.
  22. "About the Libraries | Libraries Special Collections". www.specialcollections.uct.ac.za. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021.
  23. "A message from @UCTLibrary Executive Director Ujala Satgoor on the fire that devastated the Reading Room of the Jagger Library where @UCTLibrary_SC situated". Twitter. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  24. Craig Hilton-Taylor. "I heard from Callen Cohen that the fire in the Pearson building is out and that the Bolus is safe". Twitter. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  25. Alex Lansdowne. "The top floor was burnt but it did not get to the Herbarium". Twitter. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  26. Sullivan, Helen. "Students evacuate Cape Town university as fire damages historic buildings". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  27. Phakeng, Mamokgethi. "Fire affecting the Rondebosch campus of the University of Cape Town (UCT)". UCT News. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  28. Qukula, Qama. "'UCT students could return to res - except Smuts and Fuller - within 72 hours'". CapeTown. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  29. "'Out of control' fire breaks out on Table Mountain". BBC News. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
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