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Fire fighters, left rear, battle a fire near the town
of Hout Bay, South Africa, Monday, March 2, 2015.
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Wildfires
raged for a fourth day Wednesday through one of South Africa's most popular
international tourist destinations, destroying homes, a hotel and scorching
thousands of hectares of spectacular scenery. Firefighting
teams and water-bombing aircraft were again in action as the flames swept down
Cape Town's southern peninsula, a mountainous spine of land running from the
city to Cape Point, Africa's most southwestern tip.
Hundreds
of residents of upmarket villages dotted along both the Atlantic and False Bay
coasts grabbed pets and valuables as they were evacuated overnight ahead of
flames fanned by strong winds and record high temperatures.
AFP continues the report:
A
total of 13 homes have been destroyed or damaged by the fires, along with the
five-star Tintswalo Atlantic Lodge perched on the edge of the ocean near the
fishing port and commuter village of Hout Bay.
"The
fires are now threatening properties at Clovelly," near Fish Hoek on the
False Bay side of the peninsula, Onele Ndesi, spokesman for Cape Town Disaster
Risk Management, told AFP.
No
fatalities or serious injuries have been reported, but dozens of people have
been treated for smoke inhalation.
A
sudden wind change overnight brought flames bearing down on Kalk Bay, a fishing
village known for its seafood restaurants and antique shops.
Schools
were closed and traffic snarled as residents awoke to a rain of ash and smoke
drifting across an armageddon-like red ball of sun.
"The
area affected by the change in wind direction is from Kalk Bay, all around the
mountain towards the Hout Bay area and then on the opposite side towards
Tokai," said Theo Layne of Cape Town Fire and Rescue.
Firefighters
were hoping that a change in the weather would bring some relief after
temperatures soared to 100-year highs of more than 40 degrees Celsius (104
degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday.
“Today
we’re going to be having a little bit of a cooler day with expected rain, which
is going to assist with damping or cooling down of the entire burnt
areas," Layne said.
The
fire has ravaged some 4,000 hectares of flowering, shrublike vegetation known
as fynbos, part of the unique Cape floral kingdom.
The
fynbos-covered mountains and spectacular coastline are the backdrop to the
annual Cape Town Cycle Tour, a 109 kilometre race around the peninsula, which
is due to be held on Saturday.
The
race is described as the "largest timed cycling event in the world",
and has drawn 35,000 entrants from South Africa and around the world this year.
Organizers were expected to announce this week whether the fires will force a change in
the route.
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