Blazes whipped up by a strong, dry wind have sent black smoke across the city and forced residents to evacuate

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A wild fire that swept across Cape Town’s famous Lion’s Head mountain moved towards residential neighbourhoods on Sunday, prompting several people to evacuate their homes.

A Cape Town fire service spokesman told News 24 that 70 firefighters and 20 trucks were fighting the blaze. Local media reported that the firefighting effort was expected to last all night.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Smoke rises from the Lion’s Head mountain in Cape Town. Photograph: Social Media/Reuters

Bad wind conditions were complicating efforts to bring the blaze under control, according to Western Cape local government spokesperson James-Brent Styan.

Video and photographs of the fire flooded social media, with some describing the scene as “Armageddon”. Images showed thick black smoke in the sky as the blaze swept close to the affluent neighbourhood of Fresnaye.

The fire was also close to the suburbs of Signal Hill and Seapoint.

Joseph Dana (@ibnezra) Another perspective from the air of the #LionsHeadFire that is still unfolding in Cape Town tonight. Due to the 2018 drought, Cape Town has never been drier. #capetownfire #SignalHillFire pic.twitter.com/4jBJpqFxnm

karen zoid (@karenzoid) Raining ash in Sea Point. The Southeaster is raging still. Does anyone know what the status is? This thing is ravenous. 😱🔥 #signalhill #lionshead #capetownfire pic.twitter.com/liHWhk74Dn

The cause of the fire was not known.

Cape Town is in the grip of a drought that in early 2018 almost left the city without water.