The fire which broke out in the Cape Town area last weekend has been extinguished, the city’s Disaster Risk Management said on Monday.

“The fire is under control, it was put out and everything is under control,” spokeswoman Charlotte Powell said.

The fire started on March 1, and was contained, but flared up again just after 2am on March 2, in Muizenberg above Boyes Drive, fanned by strong winds.

It spread to Ou Kaapse Weg, Chapman’s Peak, Hout Bay, and Tokai.

The city’s Fire Safety Division confirmed on Wednesday that 13 properties were either damaged or destroyed. These included the Tintswalo Lodge at the foot of Chapman’s Peak. Three of the properties — two in Constantia and one in Noordhoek — were destroyed.

By Wednesday, a total of 500 people had been evacuated since the fire began. Fifty-two frail-care residents from a Noordhoek retirement village were treated for smoke inhalation.

About 2000 people and 26 aircraft were involved in the operation.

The 198 hours of flying time had cost about R2.4 million. About two million litres of water had been dumped on the fire in about 2000 water drops.

On Sunday, pilot Colonel Willem “Bees” Marais died in a helicopter crash while fighting fires at Olifantsbos in the Cape Point Nature Reserve. SAPA