A massive fire in Cape Town, South Africa, destroyed thousands of acres of rare plants and 52 senior citizens from a nearby nursing home needed treatment for smoke inhalation.
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The blaze started on Sunday and engulfed the seaside town’s iconic Table Mountain terrain. Another fire started on Monday and it remains burning but is under control, reports the South African Press Association.
The Table Mountain National Park is home to many rare species of plant life, including fynbos and proteas flora.
No fatalities have been reported but one firefighter has been treated at a hospital for burn wounds and 52 frail-care residents from the Noordhoek retirement village were treated for smoke inhalation, the association reports.
Other retirement villages were evacuated but the residents have since returned to their homes.
Hundreds of firefighters and volunteers are working to contain the blaze, which has been fanned by strong winds and the current hot summer temperatures. Another 250 firefighters were called to the scene Monday.