A fierce blaze hit Table Mountain National Park, affecting Newlands and Kirstenbosch. Helicopters and firefighters rushed to control the fire.

A mountain fire in Cape Town affecting the Newlands and Kirstenbosch area in Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) burnt ferociously from 3.40am on Sunday. About 50 hectares were burnt by Sunday afternoon -- roughly half the size of the Cape Town CBD.

The blaze was visible from around the city. Photos and videos of the fire making its way down the mountainside towards the Newlands and Kirstenbosch sections of TMNP were circulating by early Sunday morning.

South African National Parks (SANParks) urged people to avoid the affected Newlands, Kirstenbosch and Rhodes Memorial areas. TMNP warned that trails in the Newlands and Kirstenbosch area were closed and that authorities continued to monitor the situation closely.

When the fire broke out, the TMNP cautioned that it was burning in an inaccessible area above the Lady Anne Barnard trail, with a possibility of the fire spreading to the Back Table.

At about 7am, firefighters had been battling the blaze for three hours in challenging terrain with ground crews unable to access water sources for vehicles and hoses. Aerial support had been called in to control the flames.

Fortunately, things turned around....