South Africa: Fire ravages Capetown

Fire fighters are battling fires along the Capetown mountains that have been ravaging South Africa’s Eastern Cape region in the past few days.

Strong winds have been fanning the fire spreading rapidly to other areas that has seen rapid response from fire fighting helicopters.

Thousands of hectares of vegetation have been destroyed.

The cause of the fire is undetermined but it is highly likely to have been caused by the worst ever recorded drought in South Africa, in over a 100 years.

Those aren't rain clouds. That's the smoke from the fires Franschoek side of the world. Cape Town needs rain soon. pic.twitter.com/jbjOdfqhVC

— Mischka Vega Oliver (@Mischka_Vega) January 21, 2016

“Abnormally high temperatures and low rainfall in 2015 are the result of the combination of the natural phenomenon El Nino and human action that causes climate change,” said Robert Scholes from the University of Witwatersrand.

Janine Boshoff, a resident in Borksburg was shocked after reading a Facebook message posted by a breeder who hesitated to kill his cattle dying of thirst.

“If a breeder could feel these emotions for an animal, so I hope that men can feel the same towards each other,” said the 35 year old woman.

Volunteers are now coming out to help such farmers in distress, by collecting water in bottles and transporting them in severely affected areas.