Residents evacuated as mountain fire spreads in Cape Town

Cape Town, South Africa: Residents are being evacuated from Cape Town neighborhoods Monday as a wildfire spreading on the slopes of the city's famed Table Mountain was fanned by strong winds overnight and houses came under threat.

City authorities said residents of parts of the Vredehoek suburb were being evacuated as a "precautionary” measure after the blaze spread toward the area. Devil’s Peak, one of the iconic points of the mountain, was lit up in the early hours of the morning by the flames, which had now spread to the front side of the mountain and toward residential areas. A man in his 30s had been arrested on suspicion of arson, a city official said, although it's not clear if he was responsible for starting the blaze, which began early Sunday. The man was arrested Sunday night after witnesses reported seeing three people moving through flames on the mountain slopes setting more fires, Cape Town safety and security official JP Smith told The Associated Press.