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May

2011

11:32am, EDT

Nic Bothma / EPA

A South African boy, resident of Masiphumelele informal shack settlement, looks at the remains of his home after a fire destroyed more than 1500 homes in Cape Town, South Africa, on Monday, May 2.

Nic Bothma / EPA

A South African resident of Masiphumelele informal shack settlement carries bed springs from the remains of his home after a fire in Cape Town on Monday.

Thousands displaced after fire destroys homes in Cape Town

According to EPA:

Around 1500 shacks were burned to the ground in the blaze which started in the early hours of Monday morning. Thousands have been left destitute and the body of a man was discovered after the fire spread rapidly through the densly populated area. The cause of the fire remains unclear but residents blame government for not addressing the housing crisis causing the overcrowded shacklands.

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