Cape Town, South Africa (AP) – Helicopter drips on a fire burning on a hillside of Table Hill in South Africa on Tuesday, police investigated whether the arson was the cause.
Table Mountain National Park first reported on Friday's fire. It said in a statement that it believed the three fires were intentional. Police said they arrested a person on suspicion of arson.
Cape Town said the latest fires were partially under control, but people were concerned about more outbreaks. Wildfires there are often fanned by strong coastal winds, which can cause them to move quickly and get out of control again.
Smith City officials said no reports were reported and no private residence was damaged. He said four cars and one motorcycle in the parking lot were destroyed and the others were damaged.
Authorities closed the roads and hiking trails. Nearly 200 people were evacuated Sunday, including some nursing homes, but were later returned to their residences, the park said.
During the hot, dry months between November and April, Table Mountain is susceptible to wildfires. The last fire on the mountain was February.
The park estimates that 3,000 hectares (11 square miles) of vegetation have been burned this time. The fire burned on the back slope of the mountain instead of overlooking the famous flat-topped part of Cape Town’s city centre.
The park said about 250 firefighters responded to the fire.
Firefighters made progress overnight by using thermal imaging drones to determine where the fire was moving.
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