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CAPE TOWN | Xinhua | The well-known Cape of Good Hope was closed Friday morning as a wildfire has been burning for the fourth day on a mountain near Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa.
The wildfire started Tuesday on the mountain slopes of Simon’s Town, about 40 km south of Cape Town and part of the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality.
“Due to the ongoing fires in the Simon’s Town area and the danger it might pose to our visitors’ safety, Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) management has made the decision to close the Cape of Good Hope/Cape Point section of the Park this morning as a precautionary measure,” South African National Parks (SANParks) said in a statement on its official social media account. “We strongly advise all visitors and tour operators to adhere to these closures until an official announcement regarding the Cape Point gate’s reopening is made. Additionally, we recommend avoiding the Simon’s Town area as much as possible.”
SANParks also said Thursday evening that the wildfire had burnt approximately 1,140 hectares of land across private, public works, and TMNP properties since Tuesday.
On Wednesday, five of more than 300 firefighters battling the wildfire were injured and two were rushed to hospital.
While nearly 40 nearby houses were evacuated in the early hours of Wednesday, the fire also put Naval Base Simon’s Town — South Africa’s largest naval base — under threat, damaging one derelict building on its grounds.
In addition, according to an update posted Friday morning on the Cape Town city government’s social media account, about 97 households in a nearby neighborhood were evacuated Thursday night. “At the moment, no further evacuations are necessary, but we are monitoring the situation closely.”
Wildfires often break out on the mountain slopes around Cape Town in the hot, dry months from November to April. They become dangerous and unpredictable when fanned by strong coastal winds. ■
