Mountain on fire

It was 1am yesterday and Natalie Wood wasn't sure whether to run or pray.

A huge wall of fire was racing towards her, gobbling up a mountain slope that was usually such a pleasant sight above her Noordhoek home.

"The whole mountain was just a raging fire," Wood said, pointing to the scorched earth just a few metres from her front door.

"I got the kids and dogs out, and then started collecting my important papers.

"My brother, who lives down the valley, called to ask if he could come and help - I told him he had better just help himself."

@_ArriveAlive@TrafficSA@EWNTraffic R43 closed at Hawston due to fire. Detour via Karwyderskraal. pic.twitter.com/gLPz6NzPCL

— EMR (@EMR_Info) March 2, 2015

The fire, which started early on Sunday in Muizenberg, above Boyes Drive, had by yesterday spread across a large area of Table Mountain National Park in the middle of the city.

Five houses were destroyed or severely damaged and at least 30 households were evacuated, including residents of an old-age home and a retirement village.

Thats exactly how it was last night. Its now the other side of mountain towards Rondebosch/UCT @StanfromIBFpic.twitter.com/d2L3QdGNVp

— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) March 3, 2015

By nightfall the blaze had moved into the pine plantations on the slopes of Constantiaberg, above the suburb of Tokai. It was still burning fiercely on the upper slopes of Chapman's Peak.

Last-minute heroics from fire-fighters doused the blaze before it reached Woods's home. Others were not so lucky.

In Hout Bay, guests were evacuated from the five-star Tintswalo Lodge at the bottom of Chapman's Peak Drive shortly before it was engulfed by flames. Managing director Michelle du Plessis estimated that about 80% of the buildings had been lost.

Farewell heavenly Tintswalo Lodge! 60%-80% damage has been reported. #houtbayfirepic.twitter.com/AdzDzd0Uxp

— Su Little (@SuLittleZA) March 2, 2015

"The entire main building and first row of rooms is completely and utterly devastated. Currently nobody is allowed on site, but we are expecting the worst," she said.

A veteran firefighter had to be stabilised in the Jacuzzi at the resort after suffering first-degree burns to a hand. He was later admitted to hospital.

Cape Town Disaster Risk Management spokesman Charlotte Powell said: "So far we have treated 52 people for smoke inhalation."

Fanned by strong winds and high temperatures, the fires stretched over some 3000ha of the mountain range running down the spine of Cape Town's scenic southern peninsula, said National Parks spokesman Merle Collins.

Fire trucks at ready on Chapman's Peak Drive between fire &Monkey Valley.Volunteers waiting at MV #CTFires#Noordhoekpic.twitter.com/lndci653DO

— John McInroy (@johnmcinroy) March 2, 2015

The fire prompted several road closures, including Chapman's Peak Drive between Noordhoek and Hout Bay, where rockfalls have cast doubt on the official route of Sunday's Cape Town Cycle Tour.

Race organisers toured the city yesterday to investigate an alternative, saying they hoped to make an announcement by tomorrow.

Five helicopters and hundreds of people on the ground kept up a battle against the spreading blaze.

Pictures from a listener of Chapman's Peak Drive #CapeTownFire. pic.twitter.com/R61Ksv3mQm

— Jacaranda Newsteam (@JacaNews) March 2, 2015

Theo Layne, spokesman for the City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services, said inaccessible terrain was making fire-fighting difficult, but officials would monitor the fire-line throughout the night.

Firemen were being assisted by national park staff and volunteers, he said.

The Western Cape government deployed extra firefighters to assist City of Cape Town crews.

Provincial staff have been battling other wildfires across the province for weeks, including a major fire outside Tulbagh and another in Betty's Bay.

Colin Deiner, head of Western Cape Disaster Management, said fire crews were struggling against tough conditions.

"The situation is serious and efforts are being hampered by extreme temperatures, strong winds and inhospitable terrain," he said.

Anton Bredell, the Western Cape MEC for local government, environmental affairs and development planning, said: "The idea is to stabilise the situation across the province.

"The teams will be deployed to all the affected areas and will provide assistance to the teams that have been on the ground over the past few days."

@vwsfires@wo_fire@TableMountainNP Working on Fire taking water from Silvermine retirement village. pic.twitter.com/252WDtIJ1R

— Hendrik Louw (@Hendrikjlouw) March 2, 2015

At the Silvermine Retirement Village, residents crowded around a small irrigation dam to watch helicopters fill bags used to drop water on the fire.

Resident Heather Kirk said retirement had never been so exciting.

"They've taken most of our irrigation water. We're just worried about our Koi fish," she said.

Last night, City of Cape Town mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said: "The wind has died down significantly today and that has helped the efforts to contain the fire.

"The weather outlook for the next 24 hours indicates that moderate winds will persist, which will hopefully further improve the chances of bringing the fire under control."

Additional reporting AFP