Cape Town fire forces evacuation of nearly 200 households

Nearly 200 households have been evacuated in the coastal city of Cape Town in South Africa after a raging fire began around the Table Mountains on Friday.

“As a precautionary measure, Disaster Risk Management (DRM) assisted with evacuating 198 households from the Noordhoek Manor, including 48 frail care residents. The residents of Barnyard and Silwersteen have decided to evacuate,” Jermaine Carelse, the City of Cape Town’s spokesperson for Fire and Rescue, said. 

Much of the fire burned down the inaccessible areas of the mountain as hundreds of families were told to move out of their homes by the Municipality for fear of losing their lives.

The fire has drawn at least 100 firefighters fighting five fire fronts with evacuations ordered in Steenberg Estate, Zwaanswyk, and Noordhoek Manor.

The fire began on Friday in an area known as Tokai, and by Monday morning, there hadn't been any flare-ups reported, according to Carelse.

The cause of the fire is still unknown and so far, only one injury has been reported of a firefighter. Authorities said they will conduct investigations into the cause of the fire.