Firefighters battled a blaze that engulfed large areas of Cape Town’s iconic Table Mountain on Wednesday, ahead of a meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of 20 nations.
A thick pall of smoke settled over the city center, with helicopters deployed to drop water on flames that spread overnight from the east-facing Newlands ravine toward the northern suburb of Vredehoek.
All available resources had been deployed to contain the fire, South African National Parks, which oversees the mountain and the surrounding reserve, said.
“A concern remains the continued presence of hikers in areas that have been closed off due to fire damage and active fire operations,” it said in a statement.
“We urge the public to strictly adhere to all trail closures for their safety.”
They expressed concern over hikers entering closed areas due to fire damage and ongoing operations, urging the public to strictly adhere to trail closures for safety.
The G-20 meeting is scheduled to proceed on Wednesday and Thursday at a convention center on Cape Town’s foreshore, which is currently unaffected by the fire.
Trails in Table Mountain National Park, a popular hiking spot for residents and tourists, were closed after the fire began earlier this week.
As of Monday, the fire had burned through at least 148 acres of land, according to a body responsible for managing the national park, which said on Monday that it was concerned about “the continued presence of hikers in areas that have been closed off.”
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