TIMELINE OF EVENTS IN NELSON MANDELA BAY
THE fires that have ravaged parts of Nelson Mandela Bay first started on Wednesday.
What follows is a timeline of events from the start of the fires to when the municipality was able to get the blazes under control.
Wednesday
Veld fires flare up in Greenbushes, Barcelona, Van Stadens, St Albans, and Bushbuckridge in the afternoon.
By 8pm, the Bushbuckridge fire has intensified.
Thursday
Fires continue to rage in the Van Stadens gorge area in the morning.
Later, several houses between Thornhill, Lady Slipper and Rocklands are gutted as the raging fire sweeps across the mountain range.
Some Sardinia Bay and Schoenmakerskop residents are evacuated at night.
Friday
At least eight houses bordering the Van Stadens River gorge are destroyed between the previous night and midday.
Fires get close to the Sacramento village in the morning, but firefighters prevent it from moving closer.
Saturday
At about 1pm, another fire is fuelled by strong winds inside the Schoenmakerskop and Sardinia Bay Nature reserves.
Woodridge College and Preparatory School pupils and staff are evacuated due to a fire in the Van Stadens River gorge at about 8am.
Pupils are moved to the Baywest Mall, while some staff are relocated to St George’s Preparatory School.
The N2 is closed temporarily in Port Elizabeth at 9am.
The N2 is reopened at Thornhill at 10.30am for vehicles travelling in the direction of Port Elizabeth.
By noon, fires in Nelson Mandela Bay are under control, according to officials.
The electricity goes off in the Van Stadens gorge area due to the inferno.
The fire department’s emergency number goes down at about 4.30pm.
By 3pm, the wind speed has picked up, fanning the fire which moves swiftly towards the N2 and Van Stadens gorge area. This forces the closure of the N2 again.
The fire at the Van Stadens gorge area reaches Woodridge College and Preparatory School.
Several school buildings are gutted at about 4pm.
By 6pm, firefighters experience water issues and efforts to douse the flames are stopped.
Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Athol Trollip posts on Facebook that fire engines are running out of water and cannot refill from the hydrants due to electricity outages.
Residents respond and the water reserves are replenished within four hours.
Myrna van der Riet, 72, dies at her farm in the Thornhill area at about 5pm.
Her husband, Walter, van der Riet, dies in hospital on Saturday night, just hours after his wife’s death.
At least two houses bordering the Schoenmakerskop and Sardinia Bay Nature Reserves are evacuated as a precautionary measure in the evening.
Yesterday
At 8am, firefighters are still battling blazes at the Van Stadens gorge – with 14 buildings gutted at Woodridge College and Preparatory School.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality announces just after 1pm that all fires are under control.
At about 2pm, a helicopter starts water-bombing Woodridge College and Preparatory School and the surrounding areas.