Tsitsikamma Park shop destroyed in fire

The temporary shop structure at the Tsitsikamma Section of the Garden Route National Park (GRNP) in the Eastern Cape was destroyed in a fire on Tuesday night.

In a statement on Wednesday, GRNP General Manager, Vuyiswa Thabethe, said the fire was noticed in the park just after 5pm on Tuesday, 22 September 2020.

While the shop was destroyed, the statement said, staff members, as well as the fire and rescue teams from the Mountain to Ocean Company and Koukamma Municipality, jumped in to contain the blaze and to stop it spreading to the surrounding vegetation.

The temporary shop structure at the Tsitsikamma Section of the Garden Route National Park (GRNP) in the Eastern Cape was destroyed in a fire on Tuesday night. Picture: Southern Cape Fire Protection Association/Facebook

“We are grateful that no life was lost and no staff nor visitors sustained any injuries. We also extend our gratitude to the staff and emergency services team who contained the fire and prevented it from spreading to other structures,” said Thabethe.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated and an update will be provided in due course.

In November 2016 a restaurant and shop in the Tsitsikamma Park were also destroyed in a fire after it broke out in the restaurant’s kitchen.

The temporary shop structure at the Tsitsikamma Section of the Garden Route National Park (GRNP) in the Eastern Cape was destroyed in a fire on Tuesday night. Picture: Southern Cape Fire Protection Association/Facebook

Earlier this month two fires broke out in two of the Kruger National Park’s camps in a span of a week. These incidents are still under police investigation.

The first fire occurred on the evening of September 9 at the Letaba Rest Camp and consumed the TV room and shop at the camp.

This was followed by another blaze on September 14 at the Berg en Dal Rest Camp, where the restaurant caught fire.

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