2021 Table Mountain fire
2021 Cape Town fire | |
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![]() Fire trucks on the Hospital Bend interchange going into the City Bowl on 19 April | |
Location | Table Mountain National Park and Southern Suburbs, Cape Town, South Africa |
Statistics | |
Date(s) | 18 April 2021 08:45 SAST (06:45 UTC) |
Burned area | at least 400 hectares[1] |
Land use | National park, university, suburban area |
Non-fatal injuries | 5[1] |
Map | |
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The 2021 Table Mountain fire (also known as the Rhodes Memorial fire[2] or Cape Town fire[3][4]) is a major fire that started on 18 April 2021[5] in and around Table Mountain National Park and the neighbourhoods of Newlands,[2] Rosebank, Mowbray and Rondebosch in Cape Town, South Africa. The damage to sites in the Table Mountain area included the Rhodes Memorial, where a restaurant burned down; the upper campus of the University of Cape Town (UCT),[6] where the Special Collections library was gutted; and Mostert's Mill, a historic windmill that burned down.[7] In addition, five firefighters were hospitalised.[1]
Fire and response[]
The wildfire started on the morning of 18 April 2021 near Rhodes Memorial, Devil's Peak in Table Mountain National Park.[8] Firefighters were alerted at 08:45 SAST (06:45 UTC).[5][6] The fire was reported to have been started by a vagrant,[9] and spread through old pine trees and debris, generating its own wind,[2] towards the university campus and city.[9] There was an extreme fire danger alert on the same day, with high temperature and low humidity.[2]
Initially, the resulting smoke and wind updrafts caused by the fire prevented aerial firefighting support from being deployed.[10] Later, over 250 firefighters[11] were involved in fighting the fire and four helicopters were used to drop water onto the fire.[2][12]
By 14:10 SAST,[13] students at the University of Cape Town were evacuated.[14] Official warnings were issued for hikers in the Newlands Forest area of Table Mountain National Park to also evacuate.[15][5] At 16:05 SAST, South African National Parks (SANParks) announced that the restaurant at Rhodes Memorial had been destroyed in the fire.[13] The M3 road was also closed, with the fire spreading to the other side of it.[16]
On 19 April 2021 (8:00 SAST) homes in the Vredehoek, Walmer Estate and University Estate area of Cape Town were evacuated as a precautionary measure.[17][18] This included the evacuation of the Disa Park residential complex.[1]
By 15:00 SAST on 19 April, firefighters reported that the fire had been "largely contained".[18]
Casualties and damage[]
Firefighters[]
On 19 April Western Cape Premier Alan Winde stated that a total of five firefighters were hospitalised.[1] At least four of them were hospitalised due to burn injuries.[19]
Rhodes Memorial[]
The fire burnt down a restaurant at the Rhodes Memorial and its adjoining chapel.[16][20]
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University of Cape Town[]
More than six structures at the campus of the University of Cape Town suffered damage.[20][21][6][22] Also affected was the special collections department of the UCT Libraries system, housed in Jagger Library, part of the research wing of UCT's main library.[23][24][9] Although a fire detection system prevented the fire from reaching the rest of the main library, the reading room of Jagger Library was gutted by the flames, and some of the rare collections in the special collections department, which held over 1,300 collections and over 85,000 books and other items, were likely lost.[7][9][25][11] A later assessment found that a vast majority of the African Studies Published Print Collection (about 70,000 items) and the entirety of the African Studies Film Collection DVDs (about 3,500 items) had been destroyed, along with documents relating to the university itself as well as any manuscripts or archives being kept in the Reading Room for digitization or after being digitized, but that the rare and antique collections kept underground, including significant documentation and works of the San and Khoi people who lived in the area in the 1870s, had been preserved.[26][27]
The H.W. Pearson building caught on fire, although the Bolus Herbarium housed within narrowly escaped destruction and water damage.[28][29][3] One of the damaged sections was the Plant Conservation Unit, which studies fossil pollen and compared historical photos of sites with the sites in the present day. Their photos are thought to have been digitized, and the sediment cores they were taken from were housed in a different area, but the fossil pollen lab itself was likely destroyed.[30]
The fire also caused substantial damage to Cadbol House and La Grotta (administrative buildings) and to the Upper Campus student residences Smuts Hall and Fuller Hall. A number of other buildings suffered minor damage.[31]
Mostert's Mill[]
The fire also destroyed the Mostert's Mill, the oldest working windmill in South Africa, built in 1796, and four thatched cottages behind it.[9]
Newlands[]
The government reported that an unoccupied ministerial residence owned by the Department of Public Works and used by Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi had been “completely destroyed”.[20]
Aftermath[]
On 18 April, UCT vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng suspended all academic activities for the following two days.[32][33] On 19 April, Phakeng said students could return to their residences within 72 hours, with the exception of those who lived in either Smuts Hall or Fuller Hall.[34] She added that restoring Fuller Hall to a habitable condition could take months.[34] Most students were able to return to Smuts and Fuller Halls on 7 May.[35]
Investigation[]
On 18 April at 20:10 SAST, a 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of starting the blaze.[17][36]
City of Cape Town mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith stated that the City of Cape Town had received a number of eye witness accounts of "three people walking through the bush, with fires starting as they’re going."[1]
See also[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Table Mountain Fire (2021). |
- Table Mountain fire (2000)
- Table Mountain fire (2006)
- Table Mountain fire (2009)
- 2015 Western Cape fire season
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Walters, Tiara (19 April 2021). "PYROCENE CAPE: Our Burning Mountain: Blaze lays siege to Cape Town for third consecutive day". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Charles, Marvin. "UPDATE | Rhodes memorial fire: Firefighter injured, UCT evacuates students as runaway veldfire rages on". News24.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Hendricks, Ashraf; Stent, James; Geffen, Nathan. "In photos: the grim aftermath of Cape Town's fire". GroundUp. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ "DEVELOPING | Cape Town fire 'not out of the woods yet', UCT suspends classes until 23 April". News24. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Meyer, Warda. "Runaway veld fire: Rhodes Memorial restaurant damaged, hikers and visitors urged to evacuate". News24. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Table Mountain fire 'burns out of control' in Cape Town". BBC News. 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Watch | Cape Town fire: Dreadful scenes as UCT Library goes up in flames". The South African. 18 April 2021.
- ^ Reuters (18 April 2021). "Table Mountain Wildfire Threatens University of Cape Town". US News.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Two firefighters hospitalised as Cape Town heritage gems including Mostert Mill and UCT library gutted". TimesLIVE.
- ^ Tembo, Theolin (18 April 2021). "Cause of Rhodes Memorial blaze believed to be an unattended vagrant fire". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Wroughton, Lesley. "South Africa wildfire burns University of Cape Town, library of antiquities". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ "Cape Town wildfire forces evacuation of university students". www.shropshirestar.com. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Walters, Tiara (18 April 2021). "NEWSFLASH: Pyrocene Cape II: 'Out-of-control' Table Mountain fire forces UCT evacuation". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ Mlamla, Sisonke (18 April 2021). "UCT students, staff evacuated as out of control fire rages on by Rhodes Memorial". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ "WATCH | In the heart of the runaway Rhodes Memorial fire with hikers, joggers and firefighters". TimesLIVE. 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Rhodes Memorial Restaurant has burnt down, confirms Table Mountain National Park". www.iol.co.za.
- ^ Jump up to: a b McCain, Nicole. "Man arrested as City of Cape Town investigates arson in Table Mountain blaze". News24. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Keeton, Claire. "UPDATE Cape Town fire 'largely contained at this stage'". Times Live. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ "Cape Town firefighters continue to battle blaze | eNCA". www.enca.com. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Davis, Rebecca. "Calculating the losses of Cape Town's three days of Hell". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ SONDAY, AAMIRAH. "Fighting fires at UCT: Collaboration was key". News University of Cape Town. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
- ^ Ehlinger, Maija; Formanek, Ingrid; Dean, Sarah; Paget, Sharif. "'Out of control' fire breaks out in Cape Town's Table Mountain National Park". CNN Travel. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ "Library Maps | UCT Libraries". www.lib.uct.ac.za. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ "Libraries Special Collections". Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ "A message from @UCTLibrary Executive Director Ujala Satgoor on the fire that devastated the Reading Room of the Jagger Library where @UCTLibrary_SC situated". Twitter. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ News, Eyewitness. "73,500 valuable items lost from African Studies collection in UCT library fire". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ "Precious historical 19th century San archive saved in UCT library fire". CapeTalk. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ Craig Hilton-Taylor. "I heard from Callen Cohen that the fire in the Pearson building is out and that the Bolus is safe". Twitter. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ Alex Lansdowne. "The top floor was burnt but it did not get to the Herbarium". Twitter. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ Nordling, Linda (19 April 2021). "'The damage is total': fire rips through historic South African library and plant collection". Nature. doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01045-4.
- ^ Phakeng, Mamokgethi (29 April 2021). "Update on #UCTFire damage" (Press release). Cape Town: University of Cape Town. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ^ Sullivan, Helen. "Students evacuate Cape Town university as fire damages historic buildings". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ Phakeng, Mamokgethi. "Fire affecting the Rondebosch campus of the University of Cape Town (UCT)". UCT News. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Qukula, Qama. "'UCT students could return to res - except Smuts and Fuller - within 72 hours'". CapeTalk. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ University of Cape Town [@UCT_news] (7 May 2021). "UCT is excited to welcome back students from Fuller & Smuts this morning following the recent fires that affected the residences. The university has been hard at work to prepare the residences for the safe return of most of the students" (Tweet). Retrieved 7 May 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ "'Out of control' fire breaks out on Table Mountain". BBC News. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- 2021 in South Africa
- 2021 wildfires
- 2020s fires in Africa
- 2020s in Cape Town
- April 2021 events in South Africa
- Fires in Cape Town
- Table Mountain
- University of Cape Town
- Western Cape
- Wildfires in South Africa