Strong winds continued to spread fire outbreak on Table Mountain on Sunday.
The fire on the iconic peak overlooking the city of Cape Town on the tip of South Africa, was not under control by Monday morning, according to the city.
The flames destroyed part of the restaurant next to a monument to British colonist Cecil Rhodes, which offers an exceptional view of the harbour, houses and several buildings of the prestigious Cape Town University below, including the library, the city said in a statement.
A fire-fighter was hospitalized with burns while his colleagues continued to fight the fire in the evening, the city said,
Hundreds of students evacuated their residences on foot, walking along the main road to escape the smoke and find shelter, they were all evacuated in the evening, according to AFP journalists on the scene.
The Table Mountain National Park, which extends over much of the undeveloped areas of the city, had asked in the morning, that hikers evacuate the area immediately and motorists to pick up their vehicles parked nearby.
The firefighters had received the first alert shortly before 09:00 local (07:00 GMT). Reinforcements were deployed and three helicopters were assisting in the efforts, dropping water packs on the flames.
In the university library, “literary treasures have tragically disappeared” but “some of the most valuable works could be saved thanks to the activation of rolling doors,” the city said.
