Nine die in Garden Route fires - and there’s no sign of rain

Hundreds of residents from the woodcutting community of Rheenendal spent Tuesday staring at a colossal column of smoke rising out of the forested mountains.

Above them, an air force helicopter with a bucket of water dangling below it battled an icy gale in its lonely fight against the flames.

But for some it was already too late: near the settlement of Karatara a family lost seven members: a pregnant woman, five children and a baby.

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