CAPE TOWN – A fire on the slopes of Table Mountain in South Africa forced University of Cape Town students to evacuate on Sunday, while blazing flames set fire to several campus buildings and firefighters used helicopters to bomb the area with water.
A firefighter suffered burns and was hospitalized for treatment, officials said.
The fire started early Sunday near a memorial to politician Cecil Rhodes on Devils Peak, another part of Cape Town’s mountainous background, before spreading rapidly across the slopes.
Heavy smoke could be seen a few miles away, some roads were closed and fire signals were sent to mountain hikers.
“All UCT students were evacuated from campus by emergency services support staff,” the university said in a statement.
The university, ranked among the best on the continent, is largely built on the slopes of Devil’s Peak and is located close to where the fire started.
Images from social media showed the students driving on the main road, in the middle of the smoke rippled by the strong winds. Another video, posted on Twitter by the local government, showed angry flames inside an old building lined with columns as smoke billets rose from the roof.
City officials said they did not ask residents of the popular suburb of Rondesbosch and the surrounding area to evacuate.
“The situation is being monitored and staff will go from door to door if evacuation is needed,” officials said.