A fire that gutted homes at Gordon's Bay was under control on the edges of the residential area on Tuesday afternoon, but still raging unchecked on the mountain above the town, an official said .

Cape Town fire chief Ian Schnetler said the blaze, fanned by a gale force south easter, was still burning fiercely in the Steenbras catchment and Kogel Bay areas.

He said some firefighting crews remained on the outskirts of Gordon's Bay to control sporadic flare-ups set off by the wind.

Schnetler said two homes were completely burned out on Monday night, and another seven affected to varying degrees.

The gale was making things "very difficult" for the firefighters, he said.

Though two air force Oryx helicopters, plus another contracted to the city's fire and rescue services, had been brought in on Monday morning to waterbomb the fire, there had been times they were unable to fly because of the strong wind.

Earlier, the city said the fire had threatened offices, staff quarters, and stores in the Steenbras forestry reserve on Monday night, but it was controlled there and the houses and buildings saved.

Five firefighters had been given medical attention, four of them for smoke inhalation and one for a twisted ankle.

Across False Bay, firefighters got a fire that broke out on Tuesday morning at Cape Point under control, Table Mountain National Park, fire boss Philip Prins said.

He said the blaze had destroyed about four hectares of fynbos, but had not damaged property.

Teams were "just mopping up" on Tuesday afternoon, and would probably stay there overnight to monitor the situation.

Sapa