WATCH: Local hiker recalls 'near-death experience' stuck in Kirstenbosch wildfires

Lester Kiewit speaks to trail runner James Norbury, an award-winning filmmaker, photographer, and ultra runner, about his life-threatening experience on Table Mountain after a lightning strike caused a fire, leaving him trapped in the middle of the blaze.

Norbury narrowly escaped danger on Sunday (28 April) when he found himself amid a fire that broke out above Kirstenbosch, leaving him stranded among the flames for about four and a half hours.

After setting out at 8am to complete the 14km Box to Box Challenge from Platteklip to Constantia, Norbury suddenly smelled smoke during his descent but he couldn't get off the mountain as the only three trails of descent were blocked by the fire, recalls Norbury.

He found a rocky peak at the top of the mountain which had already been burnt and surrounded by the fire but he was able to get hold of the Fire and Rescue Services who came to his rescue after some heavy rain helped diffuse some of the flames.

It's ironic that in the midst of flames, it was cold and windy while waiting for rescue, adds Norbury.

Norbury shared this and his rescue experience on Instagram.

In the post, Norbury shares two lessons learnt from this near-death experience which is:

1) Check weather and fire warnings before hiking.

2) Maintain situational awareness while in the running ‘zone’.

Watch below.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by James Norbury (@jamesnorbury_)

Norbury says 'luckily, all is well' now but 'nature is unpredictable' so make sure you are always prepared for anything.

"I probably did not notice the situation until it was too late. No matter how nice the weather seems, always have things in your backpack to keep you safe and warm should anything happen. Be prepared for bad circumstances because it's nature and it's unpredictable".

- James Norbury

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the full conversation.