Wildfires on theslopes of Cape Town's Table Mountain smoldered into a fourth day Wednesday, after burning everything in their path, including parts of the University of Cape Town campus.
Among the damaged campus buildings was part of a 100-year-old library containing rare books and manuscripts.
Firefighters and volunteers have worked over the past few days to put out the flames. Officials said Wednesday that around 90% of the blazes had been contained. Table Mountain National Park authorities said firefighters had to work in "extreme circumstances."
South Africa's Working on Fire organization helped in the efforts. The government-funded group specialized in putting out wildfires around the country. The group said they are now in the "mop-up" stage of their work as most of the flames have now been put out.
The group used fire-fighting helicopters and South African army choppers to drop thousands of liters of water on the rocky peaks of Table Mountain. Four firefighters were reportedly injured during the four-day long struggle to contain the blazes. No casualties have been reported.
According to officials, the wildfires started to spread on Sunday, fueled by strong winds. It burned through the landscape and made its way towards residential areas that were overlooking downtown Cape Town.
Other historic structures destroyed by the blazes included a 225-year-old windmill and a colonial-era restaurant.
Table Mountain National Park authorities said that more than 1,482 acres of land were burned down.
Officials said they are still investigating the cause. Smaller wildfires in the area are reasonably common, particularly during the hot and dry summer months.
