A new day has risen over the slopes of Cape Town and still, a dark cloud of soot hangs over the skies as fire and rescue officials continue to battle what’s been termed a ‘vagrant fire’.
‘Cape Town fire was no accident’ – Table Mountain National Park
On Sunday evening, teams of rescuers from the City of Cape Town, Working on Fire and Table Mountain National Park increased efforts to douse trails of the inferno that, at the time, had spread to three different areas.
According to TMNP Fire Manager Philip Prins, however, one of the fires that broke out above De Waal Drive may have been started deliberately.
These were his thoughts on the subject:
#RhodesMemorialFire
— SANParks TMNP (@TableMountainNP) April 18, 2021
TMNP Fire Manager – Philip Prins giving an update of the Rhodes Memorial Fire and another Fire was started approximately at 20:00pm in Devils Peak- High Cape Area and our fire crews have successfully contained the new fire.
#TableMountain #CapeTownFire pic.twitter.com/MeN7XamPSZ
Reports suggest that an unidentified man has been arrested and charged with arson. However, at this time, no police statement shave been released confirming this to be true.
Cape Town weather: Strong winds threaten rescuers efforts
At the time this article was published, sirens could be heard ringing loud in the city centre. Rescue efforts were ongoing and a fire that had gained momentum on the top-end of Devil’s Peak was still ablaze.
If you work in the CBD and surrounds, DON'T go into the office today. Keep the roads clear for firefighters, volunteers and those who may need to evacuate. #CapeTownFires / #capetownfire pic.twitter.com/P5x4faM4Uq
— It's a-me, Brandon! (@i_likebrandon) April 19, 2021
The strong winds predicted for Cape Town, on Monday, will certainly not make things easier for firefighters. Here are the Cape Town weather predictions for Monday 19 April, taken from Ventusky:
Morning
Conditions, on Monday, are expected to feel nothing like the hot and dry weather Capetonians experienced on Sunday. Spurts of 0.1mm raindrops are expected towards the further south coast but these droplets, unfortunately, may not reach the city centre, where they are needed the most.
Wind speeds are expected to average 34km/hr in the morning, making for a pretty strong accelerant to the Cape Town fires.
Afternoon
By 14:00, the rain is expected to pick up momentum in Garden Route, with Cape Town still pretty much dry and windy. Temperatures should increase from 17 to 21 degrees, with wind speeds keeping up to pace at around 33km/hr
Evening
Towards the evening, things should die down. Wind speeds are expected to drop considerably to a moderate pace of 14km/hr, before they plunge to about 7km/hr on Tuesday morning.