● Flammable trees of the species that stoked the Table Mountain fire last month could be turned from a fire hazard into a fireproof material and revolutionise building in informal settlements, curbing the runaway fires that kill dozens of people every year.

“The fire-prone alien trees around UCT, which should be felled, could be used to build houses to upgrade informal settlements or even as fireproof ‘starter packs’ to rebuild burnt homes,” says conservationist Dr Guy Preston (Armstrong 1970).