Cape residents run for lives amid battle with ‘apocalyptic’ fire

All hell broke loose and residents had to run for their lives after Devil’s Peak and its surrounding areas went up in smoke following a runaway fire on Sunday.

Gift of the Givers founder Imtiaz Sooliman said the explosion at the Rhodes Memorial restaurant was manageable and the fire seemed under control until a twist of fate and a huge wind took the fire to University Cape Town (UCT).

“The fire destroyed residences, the library and important buildings before it jumped across the N3,” Sooliman said. Gift of the Givers will provide three meals per day for the next seven days to evacuated students at various hotels.

ALSO READ: UCT students in limbo after Table Mountain fires

“Gift of the Givers teams will visit all accommodation sites in the morning to assess needs firsthand, while volunteers will prepare meals at Old Mutual West Campus,” Sooliman said.

Sooliman has praised the UCT council for swiftly reacting to help 4 000 students find alternative accommodation in a short space of time.

“Our prayers for the four brave individuals hospitalised, the 70 on the mountain tonight and, collectively, the 160 and helicopter crews involved in this risky battle with the force of nature,” said Sooliman.

Eulogi Rheeder, a digital marketing manager at UCT, said she drove past the fire on Sundaymorning and noted it was getting out of control.

“By 2pm I heard that several residence/hostels for students were being evacuated and that students might need a place to stay,” she said.

ALSO READ: Minister’s home ‘completely destroyed’ by Cape Town fire

Rheeder then reached out to various contacts and found a list of thousands of names of people who needed help with food, accommodation and transport. Rheeder was then connected with a group of medical students,who were looking for a safe space.

Five students went home with Rheeder and two of the students stayed over at Rheeder’s neighbour for the night.

“Their residence in Observatory wasn’t being evacuated yet at 9pm last night. However, the smoke in the area made it unbearable for them to stay put so I went to fetch them,” Rheeder said.

All of these students were from outside Cape Town and had no family in the city. Zalman Davis, a resident living close to Devil’s Peak, said the world as he knew it was burning down to the ground.

“It has been burning since Sunday and the smoke was so terrible that I battled to sleep that night,” Davis said.

Davis closed all the windows to his apartment because his lungs felt as though they were on fire. The army, along with two helicopters, arrived in Davis’ area yesterday morning.

“It currently feels like I am playing an extra in an apocalyptic movie,” said Davis. Stuart Diamond, another Devil’s Peak resident, was among those who had to evacuate yesterday morning.

Diamond, his wife, their three daughters and their pets had to leave their house. “We have asked friends and family for accommodation and hope to return home tomorrow or soon,” Diamond said.