CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — More than 300 firefighters battled a blaze on the slopes of a mountain near Cape Town in South Africa for a second day on Wednesday and residents were evacuated from at least one neighborhood overnight, emergency services said. Five firefighters were injured and two were taken to the hospital, Cape Town Emergency Services spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said. The wildfire on the slopes near the seaside town of Simon’s Town, around 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Cape Town, threatened houses in the pre-dawn hours after it started on Tuesday. Wildfires are a regular threat on the mountain slopes around Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula to its south in the hot, dry months from November to April. A huge wildfire burned across the slopes of Cape Town’s world-famous Table Mountain for days in 2021, destroying nearly a dozen buildings, including some historic structures at the University of Cape Town.

Source: Ethiopian News December 20, 2023 12:20 UTC