With the prevalence of fires in and around Table Mountain these past few years, it’s tough not to suspect some kind of foul play.

Today’s events will only add fuel to those claims, given that a man has just been arrested after being suspected of starting four separate fires on the mountain earlier today.

News24 reports:

“A lot of people have identified him. He was screaming his head off and clearly at the location where the four fires started so people suspected it may be him,” said safety and security mayoral committee member JP Smith.

The man was found with petrol and other fire-making devices, he said.

Western Cape police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Andre Traut, confirmed that Cape Town police arrested a man in his forties on a charge of arson.

Traut said they were investigating the circumstances around the fire.

When you’re caught with petrol and “fire-making devices”, it’s pretty tough to talk your way out of that one.

A video of the fires via this tweet:

#TableMountainFire #CapeTown #TableMountain @wo_fire @cptfrs @smile904 @KFMza pic.twitter.com/8lQIKuW3Px

— Danelle de Wet (@Danelle_deWet) April 3, 2018

This tweet speaks for itself:

Firefighters are hard at work battling the blaze:

Western Cape Fire Update#TableMountainFire #KloofnekFire

Video footage of the @wo_fire @environmentza choppers water bombing the #KloofnekFire
Choppers dispatched by @TableMountainNP

@Sullphotography #SavingLives #ProtectingTheEnvironment #Fire #Wildfire pic.twitter.com/EOs1idQzRI

— Working on Fire (@wo_fire) April 3, 2018

As always, a massive thanks to those who brave the blazes day in and day out.

Now to find out why this chap was starting fires in the first place. Political motives, maybe?

[source:news24]