Cape Town fire: Table Mountain up in smoke...

I spent much of yesterday afternoon watching Table Mountain disappear behind a curtain of thick smoke. The pictures below are taken from our flat's balcony in Tamboerskloof - the 3rd photo is 10 minutes after the first - that's how quickly the fire was spreading. The flames were fanned by gale-force winds which aided its devastation and hampered dousing efforts.

  

Now my curiosity got the better of me and I walked up Kloof Nek Rd to see what photos I could get with my new Canon SLR 350D. After that I joined a whole stack of people watching the choppers collect water from the reservoir in Gardens.


 
Some fire information websites:
Surviving a Fynbos Fire
Fire Awareness
Proteas and Fire
A short Wikipedia note on fire and fynbos

For more info about Table Mountain visit SANParks Table Mountain National Park.