Last Monday’s spate of fires, with so many in so many different places along the coast, was possibly the first of this nature the region has experienced.
Unusually strong winds howled in from the south-west all day.
By late afternoon, chaos and panic erupted and continued late into the evening as fires broke out in various areas.
Ugu District Municipality said six homes had been affected, these being recorded as ‘partially destroyed’.
One such incident was a thatched home gutted by a blaze on Knoxgore Road in St Mike’s/Uvongo.
Ugu spokesman France Zama said the coast had been sitting on an Alert Level 4 at the time, with wind speeds of up to 35 to 40 knots.
He said 45 fire incidents had occurred. “There were six structural fires, 33 veld fires, one fallen tree, one vehicle fire, and four motor vehicle accidents, leaving a total of at least 29 people affected,” he said.
What, or who, caused these fires to pop up everywhere was a question many asked.
“Could it be a bad combination of cold temperatures and vagrants in the bush?” questioned one resident.
Zama replied, saying that strong winds and human error were most likely the cause.
All four municipalities were affected, namely Umdoni, Umzumbe, Ray Nkonyeni Municipality (RNM) and Umuziwabantu.
A number of areas within RNM were affected by veld fires to some extent, notably Palm Beach, Uvongo/St Mike’s and Shelly Beach.
Fires were also reported in Mtwalume, Hibberdene, Margate Extension 3, Umzumbe, Ramsgate, Izotsha, Mpenjati (inland of Nolangeni Road), KwaNzimakwe, Woza, Masinenge and Mkholombe.
The admiralty reserve in Sea Park also had a burn, and there has been extensive fire damage to Saints’ Walk in St Mike’s.
It’s unclear how the fire at St Mike’s started, but it has left this stretch of coastline severely damaged.
An urgent call for help to fight a raging blaze in the facility of President Steyn Street in Palm Beach was sent out on Monday evening.
Bush in between residential homes had caught alight, and with the dry conditions and howling wind, the fire was spreading at an alarming rate.
Farmers, Ugu Disaster Management, and RNM Fire Department, and GP Security were thanked for coming out and helping to fight the fire.
Darius Fourie, from Palm Beach Community Police Forum, thanked the team for their incredible response in assisting with the fire crisis.
“Your dedication, hard work, selflessness and bravery are truly appreciated,” he said.
Gary Bircher from GP Security thanked the local farmers and those from further afield who raced to assist.
Questions have been asked if Ugu Disaster Management is properly equipped to handle such emergencies.
Zama said yes, the district provides backup support to local municipalities.
“We have five rescue and fire vehicles with the water capacity of 20 000 litres, and 12 firefighters and four trainees to back up those at local municipalities.”
In fighting the fires, he said more than 50 000 litres of water was used and that there was a support team of Ugù water tankers carrying 14 000 litres of water.
“Response teams were also assisted by local farmers around the areas,” he said.
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