The fires that have raged through the Garden Route are wreaking havoc in Knysna and George with firefighters still attempting to contain the blaze.
The Garden Route Municipality district issued an update on the fire status this morning, sharing there are numerous blazes that firefighters are attempting to contain in the East of Karatara and the Rheenendal areas.
A cellular tower in the area was damaged by the fire, causing havoc with communication between disaster management teams on the ground.
A large amount of alien vegetation in Kraaibosch is contributing extreme fire conditions as the plant produces high temperatures when burning.
De Vlugt Road towards Keurbooms has raised grave concern as it houses dense vegetation between residential and agricultural structures. Historically, numerous wildfires have spread in the area and caused exponential damage.
The Garden Route District Municipality has encouraged members of the community to evacuate their homes if their lives or infrastructure are being threatened by the blaze.
The municipality has issued the community there with clear evacuation plans.
“Knysna Municipality has produced an evacuation plan and will activate resources according to the plan when needed. Emergency responders will inform residents in the event that an emergency evacuation is required,” said the Garden Route District Municipality statement.
Currently there are 48 firefighters, 2 @environmentza WOF choppers & 2 fixed wing air tractor bombers operational in De Vlught.
We salute our pilots for their efforts in fire suppression under challenging circumstances in the #GardenRoute#SavingLives #ProtectingTheEnvironment pic.twitter.com/aXTicibhon
— Working on Fire (@wo_fire) October 31, 2018
The fire continues to engulf the Tsitsikamma National Park and has damaged over 29 541 hectares of land.
EC Fire Update: Fire 2: Balindlela Fire Contained, Fire 8: Tsitsikamma Fire-Ongoing (Day 2). Working on Fire Addo, Witelsbos and Tsitsikamma team are hard at work suppressing the fire in Tsitsikamma forest. This fire has burnt an estimated 29 541 hectors since it started. pic.twitter.com/sZvAmKUFAd
— Working on Fire (@wo_fire) October 31, 2018
Currently, the fire near the Stormsriver Lodge is so severe that locals have had to evacuate. The lodge is located at the edge of the Tsitsikamma National Park.
About 200 firefighters were deployed to this fire. The Stormriver Village had to be evacuated to SANParks sports field.#SavingLives #ProtectingTheEnvironment #RestoringDignity #WOF_EC https://t.co/ye4ZmvZm0W
— Working on Fire (@wo_fire) October 31, 2018
Picture: Working on Fire/ Tsitsikamma National Park.
