The fast rate at which the raging Table Mountain fire spread was due to strong south-easterly winds and “what could probably be a high fuel load on the mountain”.

This according to North West University (NWU) School of Geo and Spatial Sciences senior lecturer Dr Sheldon Strydom, who explained that fire required three “ingredients” to occur.

“There needs to be fuel available for combustion, a source of ignition and the atmospheric conditions, i.e. weather, need to be conducive to the burning of the fuel. In other words, a warm and dry environment has a higher ‘fire danger’ than a wet and cool environment.”..