A large wildfire continues to burn across several areas of the Kouga Municipality in the Eastern Cape, causing widespread power outages, road closures and the evacuation of residents.
The fire, which started on Tuesday, has spread rapidly due to strong winds and dry weather conditions, affecting areas including Zwartenbosch, Oyster Bay Road and the Kromme River region.
Emergency services remain on the scene, with residents in affected areas urged to evacuate immediately.
Evacuations under way
Kouga Mayor Hattingh Bornman said evacuations continued overnight as firefighters worked to contain the blaze.
“Overnight, a few more people were evacuated. At this stage, it is estimated that around 40 people have been evacuated,” Bornman said.
“Teams have been working throughout the night trying to get control of the fires, and we’ve had tremendous support from residents and businesses who have been bringing food, water and supplies to firefighters and evacuated residents.”
The municipality has issued an urgent evacuation warning for residents in the Zwartenbosch area along the R330 road, where fires remain uncontrolled.
Infrastructure damage and power outages
The St Francis Disaster Volunteer Group confirmed that parts of St Francis Bay have been affected by the wildfire, with damage reported to both formal and informal structures.
Group manager Liezl Clause said the area is currently without electricity.
“We do know that some structures have already been burned, including formal and informal structures, and infrastructure has been damaged. There’s no electricity in St Francis Bay at the moment,” Clause said.
She added that once the immediate firefighting response subsides, disaster volunteers will shift focus to post-fire support and assisting affected residents.
Emergency response and aid
The Gift of the Givers Foundation has deployed teams to Jeffreys Bay and Humansdorp to provide assistance to affected communities.
Several national and local roads have been closed due to the fires.
Emergency services across the Eastern Cape remain on high alert as fires continue to threaten multiple areas in the province.
Garden Route fire
Meanwhile, SANParks confirmed that a separate wildfire is burning in the Keurbooms–Soetkraal area within the Tsitsikamma Section of the Garden Route National Park.
The fire is believed to have been caused by lightning. It is burning in very remote, mountainous terrain on SANParks-managed land, generally referred to as the Soetkraal area. The fire has spread over an estimated 10 000 hectares.
Firefighting teams are implementing a containment strategy aimed at keeping the fire within predetermined management parameters. Minor damage to property infrastructure has been recorded.
Authorities continue to monitor conditions closely and have urged the public to follow official updates and evacuation instructions as firefighting efforts continue.
