More than 100 shacks were destroyed and about 800 people left homeless in a shack fire at Mandela Park in Hout Bay on Friday, Cape Town fire control said.

Between 150 and 200 shacks were destroyed in the fire which started around 3am, said Goodwood fire control supervisor Paul Joseph.

By 6.30am the fire had been brought under control. There were 13 fire engines on scene containing the blaze, said Joesph.

He said the cause of the fire or the number of people injured was not yet known.

Western Cape at risk

The Western Cape faces a major wild fire risk this summer, Working on Fire (WoF) warned on Friday.

"The weather is expected to be exceptionally hot and dry. Heavier then average winter rain has stimulated plant growth, increasing fuel loads," the government-funded fire management organisation said in its December newsletter.

WoF provincial manager Pierre Combrinck said climate data showed the province was entering a five-year phase of longer, wetter winters and windier, drier summers.

"That means more wild fires. This season we expect the worst fires in January and February," he said

The newsletter quotes the SA Weather Service saying rain in the region is expected to taper off in December.

"After the rains, the weather is going to be hot and dry," it said.

Sapa