University of Cape Town students were forced to evacuate on Sunday when A wildfire on the slopes of South Africa’s Table Mountain set several campus buildings ablaze.
Firefighters reportedly used helicopters to water-bomb the area and officials said one firefighter sustained burn wounds and was hospitalised for treatment.
The fire started early on Sunday near a memorial to politician Cecil Rhodes, located on Devil’s Peak, before spreading rapidly up the slopes with Heavy smoke which could be seen for kilometres away.
The university said in a statement that all UCT students have been evacuated from campus by emergency services support staff while some roads were closed with fire alerts being sent to mountain hikers.
Social media footage showed students milling around on the main road, amid billowing smoke fanned by strong winds.
Another video, tweeted by the local government, showed flames raging inside an old building lined with columns as smoke plumes rose from its roof.
City officials said they have not asked residents in the popular Rondesbosch suburb and surrounding area to evacuate but said the situation is being monitored and staff will go door-to-door in the event that evacuation is required.
The university, ranked among the best on the continent, is largely built on the slopes of Devil’s Peak and is situated close to where the fire started.
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