South Africa: Howling Winds Worsen Cape Town Fires, Evacuations Continue

19 April 2021

Cape Town — Firefighters in Cape Town, South Africa, have been battling fires on Table Mountain that began near Rhodes Memorial. Residents living in the Vredehoek suburb were evacuated, Walmer Estate residents have been told to get their go-bags ready to evacuate, and Oranjezicht and Vredehoek are reportedly being evacuated,

At least four firefighters were injured yesterday, and nine buildings damaged or destroyed - including the historic Mostert's Mill, the Rhodes Memorial Tea Garden, and several buildings at the University of Cape Town (UCT). About 4,000 students living on UCT's campus were evacuated last night.

The fire gutted parts of UCT's Jagger Library, said Executive Director of UCT Libraries Ujala Satgoor on Sunday night, but the fire was stopped from spreading to other sections of the library.

A statement from the Libraries department went on to say: " 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".

Multiple roads have been closed, including the M3 in both directions between Hospital Bend and Rhodes Drive, Philip Kgosana Drive inbound at Hospital Bend, Princess Ann Ave between Main Rd and M3, Woolsack Drive between Main Rd and M3, Chelmsford Rd, Pepper Tree Rd, and Tafelberg Rd, according to Facebook's Crisis Response.

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