2006 Table Mountain fire
Encyclopedia
The Table Mountain fire was a large fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....

 in and around the Table Mountain National Park
Table Mountain National Park
Table Mountain National Park, previously known as the Cape Peninsula National Park, is a national park in Cape Town, South Africa, proclaimed on May 29, 1998, for the purpose of protecting the natural environment of the Table Mountain Chain, and in particular the rare fynbos vegetation...

 in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...

, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. It broke out at approximately 4 p.m. on 26 January 2006 above Tafelberg Road, and spread quickly due to dry conditions
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...

 and strong wind
Wind
Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...

s of up to 60 knots (32.7 m/s). It threatened to spread into the densely populated suburbs of Tamboerskloof
Tamboerskloof
Tamboerskloof is a neighbourhood of Cape Town, South Africa. It lies on the slopes of Lion's Head and Signal Hill, adjacent to the neighbourhoods of Gardens and Bo-Kaap...

, Oranjezicht
Oranjezicht, Cape Town
Oranjezicht is a suburb in Cape Town, South Africa, built on the site of the old Oranjezicht farm, which used to stretch at least as far as the Mount Nelson Hotel and supplied the Castle of Good Hope with fresh produce...

, Vredehoek
Vredehoek, Cape Town
Vredehoek is a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa located in the City Bowl, on the slopes of Table Mountain, between Devil's Peak and Oranjezicht. The suburb was proclaimed after the first world war and expatriates from many European countries settled here after peace was declared...

 and Gardens
Gardens, Cape Town
Gardens is an inner-city suburb of Cape Town located just to the south of the city centre located in the higher elevations of the "City Bowl". It is located directly beneath Table Mountain and Lion's Head. It is an affluent neighbourhood populated mostly by young professionals and contains...

 on the north side, as well as Camps Bay
Camps Bay
Camps Bay is an affluent suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. In summer it attracts a large number of foreign visitors as well as South Africans looking for a beach holiday. It is renowned for its white sandy beaches fringed by palm trees and has a trendy nightlife.-History:The first residents of...

 and Bantry Bay
Bantry Bay, Cape Town
Bantry Bay is an affluent suburb of Cape Town situated on the slopes of Lion's Head and overlooking a rocky coastline, Western Cape Province, South Africa. It was originally called Botany Bay after a botanical garden that was planted here for the cultivation of medicinal herbs...

 on the south side.

Janet Chesworth, a 65-year old British tourist, died from smoke inhalation while hiking near the lower cable station along with her daughter, Linda, who was in an unknown condition. A group of three German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 tourists were found unharmed on the mountain, and two tourists were also airlifted off the mountain while they waited on a rock near the upper cable car station. Up to sixteen hikers were also reportedly stranded on Table Mountain
Table Mountain
Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa, and is featured in the flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top...

 and Signal Hill
Signal Hill (Cape Town)
Signal Hill aka Lion's Rump, is a landmark flat-topped hill located in Cape Town, next to Lion's Head and Table Mountain.The hill is also known as "The Lion's Flank", but this term is obsolete...

. A number of homes were destroyed, as well as three cars along Tafelberg Road. An estimated 7 km² of fynbos
Fynbos
Fynbos is the natural shrubland or heathland vegetation occurring in a small belt of the Western Cape of South Africa, mainly in winter rainfall coastal and mountainous areas with a Mediterranean climate...

 vegetation was destroyed on the first day of the blaze and, according to conservation officials, approximately 40 to 50% of the world's Silver leaf tree population — found only in Stellenbosch, Paarl
Paarl
Paarl is a town with 191,013 inhabitants in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its the third oldest European settlement in the Republic of South Africa and the largest town in the Cape Winelands. Due to the growth of the Mbekweni township, it is now a de facto urban unit with Wellington...

, Lion's Head
Lion's Head (Cape Town)
Lion's Head is a mountain located in Cape Town, South Africa, between Table Mountain and Signal Hill. Lion's Head peaks at above sea level. The peak forms part of a dramatic backdrop to the city of Cape Town and is part of the Table Mountain National Park....

 and the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden — had perished in the blaze.

Three helicopters from Working on Fire, a government-private poverty alleviation initiative, waterbombed
Aerial firefighting
Aerial firefighting is the use of aircraft and other aerial resources to combat wildfires. The types of aircraft used include fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Smokejumpers and rappellers are also classified as aerial firefighters, delivered to the fire by parachute from a variety of fixed-wing...

 the blaze for most of the afternoon of the 26th, but had to leave the area as darkness fell. At that time, the fire was being fought by 150 firefighters and twenty reserve firefighters as well as volunteer wildfire specialists from the Volunteer Wildfire Services
Volunteer Wildfire Services
The Volunteer Wildfire Services is a group of volunteers in Cape Town, South Africa who assist local fire fighting agencies to suppress wildfires...

. On the morning of 27 January, waterbombing by six helicopters aided by a spotter plane resumed when daylight returned, and the fire was seemingly under control by early morning. More than one hundred firefighters worked through the night to contain the blaze, with the abating winds helping speed the process.

However, in the early evening of the 27th the wind picked up, fanning hotspots still left over and by nightfall the mountain was ablaze, and, despite extra firefighters brought in from as far afield as Clanwilliam and Mpumalanga, a long night's work was predicted for emergency personnel.

Around 4:30 a.m. on the 28th the fire severed an electricity mains
Electric power transmission
Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to Electrical substations located near demand centers...

 that supplied some of the higher-lying suburbs, leaving them without electricity
Mains electricity
Mains is the general-purpose alternating current electric power supply. In the US, electric power is referred to by several names including household power, household electricity, powerline, domestic power, wall power, line power, AC power, city power, street power, and grid power...

 until late the afternoon. By this time, firefighters also reported that the fire was completely under control. With the wind keeping low during the night, no additional flare-ups occurred.

Many citizens of Cape Town supported the firefighters with refreshments and in one case, fuel.

A 36-year-old British man, Anthony Cooper of Gowerton
Gowerton
The village of Gowerton is situated about 4 miles north west of Swansea city centre, Wales. Gowerton is often known as the gateway to Gower. Gowerton's original name was Ffosfelin...

, was arrested on the 26th after allegedly discarding a burning cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...

 butt from his car after stopping on the mountain. In addition to being charged with arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...

, he faces a culpable homicide
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...

 charge after the death of the British tourist. The City of Cape Town noted its intention to pursue a civil claim against Cooper.

On 23 May, after he failed to appear for an unrelated charge of driving under the influence
Driving under the influence
Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...

 two days before the fire, magistrate Ingrid Freitag issued a warrant for Couper's arrest and provisionally forfeited his bail.. Cooper claimed that he had phoned the national emergency number when he realized a fire had started, allegedly through his own actions..

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