Cape Town authorities announced Monday that a man in his thirties has been taken into custody last night for suspicion of starting a massive fire on the slopes of famous Table Mountain which continues to rage in the South African city. The blaze spread quickly after breaking out on Sunday morning in the vicinity of Rhodes Memorial and has damaged the University of Cape Town (UCT) and several other historical buildings. The UCT library, home to some priceless rare books, too has been gutted by the Cape Town fire.
Local authorities said that all efforts remain focused on active firefighting for the moment, although the fire is hard to reach in places and aerial firefighting support could be deployed to douse the flames before it reaches the urban edge.
The blaze spread quickly after breaking out on Sunday morning in the vicinity of Rhodes Memorial and has damaged the University of Cape Town (Images courtesy: Twitter/City of Cape Town)
"There has been property damage, details of which are in the public domain, but the City will do a full assessment once the fire is under control. Thus far, two City firefighters have been injured and we wish them a speedy recovery," the media office of the City of Cape Town said Monday.
We salute the fire fighters today 🙏🏼 #CapeTown #CapeTownFire pic.twitter.com/WMMxV4itXZ
— Caamila Harris-Alexander (@R0se_Island6) April 18, 2021
The authorities said that there is a lot of speculation currently about additional fires that were started, and whether the original fire was an act of arson.
"This will form part of investigations, but the City can confirm that one suspect in his thirties was taken into custody last night in the vicinity of Devil’s Peak. He was spotted by a resident, who tracked him down with the help of his sons and the family’s dogs. The matter is with SAPS for investigation and further details will follow as they become available," the statement said.
The city’s Air Quality Monitoring Unit recorded very high levels of Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM 2.5) at the Foreshore Monitoring Station on Monday and urged people, particularly asthmatics and other sensitive receptors with respiratory conditions, to stay indoors and keep windows and doors closed.
Cape Town's Table Mountain remains South Africa’s best-known landmark. The protected national park, which is globally recognised for its biodiversity, encompasses the Table Mountain chain stretching from Signal Hill in the north to Cape Point in the south including the seas and coastline of the peninsula.
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. #CTNews pic.twitter.com/3qtF6CqcXS
— City of Cape Town (@CityofCT) April 18, 2021
