Cape Town - A fire on the lower slopes of Table Mountain resulted in the closure of Kgosana Drive between Hospital Bend & Kuyper Street as well as the temporary closure on the M3.
The City of Cape Town's Fire and Rescue responded to the vegetation fire on Friday afternoon as thick plumes of smoke billowed across the Mother City.
"Our crews will remain on the scene for some time and they will be dealing with all the hot spots that they can reach and monitor for any flare ups," said Fire and Rescue Service station commander, Theo Layne.
"Currently we have three firefighting vehicles on the scene and the road way has been opened in both directions."
#wildfire #devilspeakfire Helicopters on scene now, caution on Philip Kgosana Drive @vwsfires @wo_fire @TableMountainNP pic.twitter.com/h6qGNF032V
— Ian Merrington (@CapeInnovation) March 2, 2018
#devilspeakfire being fanned by a strong South Easter @vwsfires @wo_fire @TableMountainNP pic.twitter.com/gx9IaVWKj0
— Ian Merrington (@CapeInnovation) March 2, 2018
Two helicopters and a spotter plane were on the scene to assist the firefighters on the ground.
The smoke from the fire caused bad visibility and the M3 had to be closed temporarily for traffic.
The hot, dry conditions in the province which is experiencing a severe drought, are increasing the risks of vegetation fires.