2000 Table Mountain fire

Table Mountain Fire
Date(s)January 16 - January 20, 2000
LocationTable Mountain National Park, South Africa
Coordinates33°57′9″S 18°27′40″E / 33.95250°S 18.46111°E / -33.95250; 18.46111
Statistics
Total firesOver 120
Total area10,000 hectares (25,000 acres)
Impacts
DamageUSD $3 Million in firefighting costs
Map
2000 Table Mountain fire is located in South Africa
2000 Table Mountain fire
Location in South Africa

The 2000 Table Mountain fire was a number of large veld fires that burned in and around the Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town, South Africa from 16 January to 20 January 2000. Over 120 fires were reported to have started around the Cape metropolitan area and spread rapidly due to dry and windy conditions on 16 January 2000.[1][2]

By the time the last fire was put out on 20 January 2000 over 10,000 ha had been burned across the Western Cape with 8,000 ha burned in the South Peninsula alone. It is estimated that fire caused around US$500 million in insurance claims alone . Over 70 houses and 200 informal dwellings were damaged or destroyed. Over 1,200 firefighters and other official and volunteer personal were involved in fighting the fire at a cost of $3 million.[1]

  1. ^ a b Michael Calvin and Deborah Wettlaufer (22 April 2000). "Fires in the Southern Cape Peninsula, Western Cape Province, South Africa January 2000". Global Fire Monitoring Center. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  2. ^ Kieran Legg (4 March 2015). "Cape fire: similar inferno in 2000". Cape Argus. Retrieved 5 March 2015.