Devasting Cape Town blaze contained

Devasting Cape Town blaze contained

Firefighters in Cape Town have managed to contain the devasting blaze in the city.

firefighter cape town fires
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The fire ignited on Sunday, ripping through a section of the Rhodes Memorial Restaurant and quickly spread to adjacent areas.

Historical artefacts and documents were lost when flames also engulfed the Jagger library at the University of Cape Town (UCT).

Speaking at a media briefing on Monday, Cape Town fire and rescue operations manager Arlene Wehr said the situation is largely under control.

"We're just monitoring the wind situation, the weather and if there is any changes we will call in additional resources."

Two firefighters were injured while they battled the blaze.

Some residents were evacuated from their homes, while UCT students were hauled out of the residences on campus.

Cape Town mayor Dan Plato said it's too early to quantify the overall damage.

"It's too early to predict, it's too early to say - likewise for the City of Cape Town , likewise for UCT," said Plato.

"The investigating teams need to determine the extent of the damage.

"All I can say to you I took a number of pictures this morning and yesterday and the extent of the damage is massive, in monetary terms it seems massive," he added.

Plato will continue to tour the city on Monday to assess the damage.

"Within the next day or so, the picture might become much, much clearer.

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