Families evacuated as blaze engulfs South Africa’s Table Top Mountain

Seven were hurt and 80 evacuated from their homes when a massive fire on South Africa’s Table Mountain lit up the city of Cape Town last night.Two homeless people sleeping rough were today in with third degree burns from the blaze.This morning the fire was said to be under control, but still ablaze in five places.“We’ve got most of it contained,” Philip Prins, the fire chief for the spectacular park, told the Daily Telegraph newspaper. “Overall it’s not looking too bad.”But he warned that if the wind strengthened the situation could worsen dramatically, and fire crews were expected to stay on the slopes for at least another 24 hours. Volunteer firefighters have appealed for donations of fresh food and water as they continue their efforts.

Bush fires are not unusual on and around Table Mountain, which is home to the unique fynbos (fine bush) vegetation. The fire centred on Devil’s Peak, next to the famous flat-topped mountain itself, with four helicopters water-bombing the flames as they spread along the ridge. Many families were among the 80 people who live at the foot mountain who were evacuated during the night, as the blaze swept through around 750 acres of hillside. Zebras and black wildebeest in the game enclosure near the memorial were said to be "fine,” reported The Times newspaper. No property was reported damaged, but about 300 hectares of park land have been burnt. Cape Town's south-easterly summer winds have fanned numerous blazes during the hot, dry weather this year, mostly in the outlying areas of the city where historic vineyards and farmland have been destroyed.The latest blaze boosted levels of air pollution in the coastal city, a popular destination for international tourists.

South Africa has Africa’s biggest economy, and tourism is a key source of foreign exchange. But many South Africans remain poor and unemployment is high - a factor blamed for a wave of violent attacks against migrant workers from other African countries.

By Hayley Jarvis for SOS Children