Smoke covers parts of PE as fires rage on

Large parts of Port Elizabeth were covered in a thick blanket of smoke on Sunday as a result of wildfires raging in several towns along the Garden Route.

The smell of smoke hung heavily in the air as the fires – fanned by strong winds – continued to burn for the eighth consecutive day.

While the blaze, which originated on the slopes of the Outeniqua Mountains near George, did not claim any human life in the direct vicinity, its swift spread brought tragedy to the small Karatara community, where eight people died.

At least 359 firefighters were deployed to battle the blaze and hundreds of people have been evacuated on the Garden Route.

On Sunday the Garden Route District Municipality, which had activated a Joint Operations Centre (JOC) to co-ordinate fire operations in the area, said there had been no serious injuries to firefighters.

Gerard Otto, head of disaster management at the Garden Route District Municipality, said more than 250 residents were evacuated from towns in the fire’s path as a precaution.

Said Otto: “This is by far the country’s biggest fire to have occurred in a populated area. We have more than 85,000 hectares that are burning. In last year’s Knysna fires, which were four times smaller than this fire, 22,000 hectares were destroyed.”