Wildfires forces evacuation in S. Africa's tourism city

A series of wildfires were raging in South Africa's famous tourism city Cape Town on Monday, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents.

The fires, fueled by strong winds, were burning in Cape Town's south peninsula areas. So far there was no report of injuries.

Parts of the city were covered with smoke and mountains were shouldering.

Residents in several neighborhoods near the fires have evacuated their homes.

A large contingent of firefighters were seen at scenes, battling the fires with water cannons.

Fires have been contained but they're not fully extinguished, a firefighter said.

"It was crazy. It looked a scene from a movie, like a bomb had gone off. It was very close," a resident told local TV station eNCA.

Four homes have been destroyed and three old age homes evacuated in the Muizenberg area after a fire broke out at the weekend, Cape Town Disaster Risk Management said.

"Unfortunately, four homes have been destroyed, but we have 28 fire-fighting vehicles and 16 supporting vehicles on the scene this morning," the agency's spokesperson Onele Ndesi said.

Wildfires are not uncommon during summer and early autumn in Cape Town. Endi