A wildfire in Cape Town has destroyed historic sites and buildings at the University of Cape Town. The fire, which started on Sunday morning near a Cecil Rhodes memorial.
More than 120 firefighters are battling the massive blaze, and four helicopters have been deployed to help with the efforts. UTC students were evacuated by emergency services as the fire destroyed buildings on campus.
By Sunday night, the fire had not been tamed yet.
Things destroyed by the fire so far
- A restaurant
- The UTC university’s historic library
- The historic Mostert’s Mill.
What start the Cape Town Fire
An investigation has so far traced the origin of the fire to “a vacated vagrant fire”.
The Cape Town’s Table Mountain National Park officials commented on the spreading of the fire:
“The fire created its own wind that further increased the rate of spread. The excessive amount of smoke and related updrafts made it impossible for the aerial support to slow the rate of spread,”
Video of an explosion at UTC from the fire