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Wildfires continue raging through South Africa's tourism city

Xinhua, March 5, 2015 Adjust font size:

Wildfires have been raging for a forth day on Wednesday through South Africa's famous tourism city Cape Town, forcing evacuation of thousands of residents.

The fires, started Sunday and fueled by strong winds, were burning in Cape Town's south peninsula areas. Parts of the city were covered with smoke and mountains were disappearing.

Dozens of homes were damaged and residents in effected areas have been evacuated to care centres around the city, Cape Town Disaster Risk Management said.

So far, more than 2,000 firefighters have been dispatched to 11 fire scenes in and around Cape Town, Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa said. A total of 26 aircraft were also deployed to fight the fires, believed to be worst in recent years.

A light rain on Wednesday brought some relief. Western Cape Premier Helen Zille said the fires have been brought under control but it could take a while to put them out.

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