[imagesource:X/@TableMountainNP]

Hiking trails along Table Mountain remain closed due to the fire burning high up on the slopes.

On Monday, South African National Parks (SANParks) issued an update on the fires that have raged since freak lightning strikes occurred last Sunday.

The Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) Fire Management assessed that a number of hot spot areas were still around in the mountain cliffs, near Skeleton Gorge behind Kirstenbosch Gardens and above Newlands.

At the time, aerial resources were on standby for firefighting as operations were not possible due to challenging wind conditions and cloud cover. Throughout the day, ground crews from TMNP NCC Environmental Services, Working on Fire, as well as the City of Cape Town Biodiversity unit, were deployed, with staff presence scheduled for overnight monitoring.

By Wednesday morning about 220 hectares of mountainside vegetation had burnt, SANParks said:

Approx 220 hectares burnt.

Closures:
📍Trails between Newlands and Constantia Nek
📍Trails leading to Maclear’s Beacon and the Back Table
📍Tails leading from the area between Camps Bay, Hout Bay, and Orangekloof
📍Platteklip George trail leading up to Maclear’s Beacon pic.twitter.com/yOCA8LHy8m

— SANParks TMNP (@TableMountainNP) April 30, 2024

“Light rain this morning [Wednesday] has helped contain the fire’s spread on the Back Table, but isolated hotspots as well as falling trees and rockfalls remain a concern.”

As a precautionary measure, several hiking trails remain closed to allow about 60 firefighters from various firefighting organisations to work on the fireline and deal with flare-ups.

“The priority remains the safety of residents, hikers and firefighters and therefore we encourage users to refrain from accessing these areas. Table Mountain National Park fire management will assess trail conditions in Constantia Nek and Newlands later in the day to determine potential reopening,” SANParks said.

EWN reported that authorities hoped that cooler morning temperatures and a light rain on Wednesday would help in some parts, but the fire is still raging, with a few folks in Newlands posting their view of the flames yesterday:

My son just took this from Newlands. 8.12pm. Looks like it’s getting very low. Table Mountain fire. pic.twitter.com/8CJe6YTay1

— Lex Loizides (@lexloiz) May 2, 2024

The priority remains the safety of residents, hikers, and firefighting personnel. Therefore, we encourage users to refrain from accessing these areas. pic.twitter.com/q6k4IFYHE7

— SANParks TMNP (@TableMountainNP) May 2, 2024

The park’s fire manager, Justin Buchmann: “At this stage, we still advise hikers to remain off the trails, even with the drizzle [on Wednesday] morning but we will send staff to assist with the conditions of the trail because we are worried about trees that have come off as a result of the fire and once we’ve done that assessment we can determine whether to open the trails.”

Update on affected hiking areas in TMNP:

• Back Table and Skeleton Gorge
  • Newlands Forest access area (Firebase) and surrounding trails will remain closed to members of the public.
• Trails from Constantia Nek to Newlands Forest will also remain closed.
• Camps Bay and Hout Bay trails have been reopened
• Cape of Good Hope
  • Hiking routes from Gifkommetjie to Circles Vlei and trails originating from Olifantsbos, as well as, the Sirkelvlei hiking trail and Link Road cycling route in the Cape Of Good Hope section, have been reopened.

During the weekend’s fire operations, more than 20 guests were evacuated from two accommodation sites in TMNP, namely Overseers Cottage along the Back Table, as well as Olifantsbos in the Cape Of Good Hope, as a safety precaution.

A fitness and adventure influencer named James Norbury (who has over 123,000 followers on Instagram) found himself in a predicament when he went for one of his long runs on the top of the mountain and had to be rescued from the smoke, approaching flames, and oddly, the cold:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by James Norbury (@jamesnorbury_)

As a regular runner, he mentioned that one of his number one regrets was not forming the habit of checking the fire/weather reports before going onto the mountain.

“This is a huge mistake on my part especially as I’ve spent the last 10 years living in the Alps and habitually checking snow reports / conditions. This will now be something I do not neglect.”

In case of emergencies or sightings of new fires, please contact 086 110 6417 or the Newlands Dispatch at 021 689 7438.

Other handy numbers for emergency situation on the mountain are Wilderness Search And Rescue: 021 937 0300
or the Fire Department: 021 480 7700.

[source:sanparks]