(Bloomberg) -- A massive storm lashed Cape Town, SouthAfrica’s second-largest city, and parts of the surrounding WesternCape province on Wednesday, claiming eight lives, downing powerlines and forcing schools and some roads to close.

Four people died in a fire caused by a lightning strike in thenorthern Cape Town suburb of Kraaifontein, while another was killedin the Lavender Hill area when a building collapsed, said James-Brent Styan, aspokesman for the provincial ministry for local government,environmental affairs and development planning. Three people dieddue to fires related to the storm in Rheenendal, outside Knysna,east of Cape Town, he said by phone. The storm is expected to abateby Thursday afternoon, he said.

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Strong winds & heavy rains

Wind speeds averaged from 60 kilometers (37 miles) per hour to 70kilometers per hour Tuesday night, with gusts of as fast as 100kilometers per hour. Some towns recorded 45 millimeters (1.8inches) of rain.

The provincial government warned the public to stay away fromthe beaches, with sea swells of 12 meters (39 feet) expected. Portauthorities placed tug boats on standby to assist any vessels.

Suburbs in towns along the Garden Route, about 490 kilometers(305 miles) east of Cape Town have been evacuated as more than 26fires broke out and parts of the N2 highway in the area has beenclosed to traffic, Styan said in an emailed statement.

Schools which were closed on Wednesday will reopen on Thursday,he said.

Worst drought on record

While Cape Town badly needs rain following the worst drought on record, the downpour will onlymarginally alleviate water shortages, city authorities said.Residents are banned from using potable water to irrigate gardens,wash cars and fill up swimming pools, with the average level ofusable water in surrounding dams having dropped to less than10%.

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