/ 27 January 2006

Table Mountain fire under control

Winds of up to 60 knots continued to pound Table Mountain on Friday morning — but Thursday’s inferno was under control by daybreak.

Parts of the city remained engulfed in smoke, according to Clarence van Roodt, station commander at Cape Town Regional Control.

”[But] it’s [the blaze] under control,” he said.

”There are a few hot spots high up on the mountain.”

He said that ”things calmed down” after about 9pm on Thursday.

On Friday fire fighters in two helicopters as well as vehicles continued to fight the flames on Table Mountain

An elderly British woman died — reportedly of smoke inhalation — when the wildfires engulfed the mountain on Thursday.

Police spokesperson Tummi Golding said a 36-year-old British man was arrested for allegedly starting the fires when he dropped a cigarette on the mountain.

The man was expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Friday on charges of culpable homicide and arson.

Cape Town metro rescue spokesperson Cleeve Robinson said two other British visitors were guided down the mountain through the flames by rescuers on Thursday – Sapa