Residents in Island View, Vakansieplaas and Aalwyndal were evacuated on Tuesday due to a veld fire in Mossel Bay, with some damage to property sustained as the blaze encroached on urban areas. The N2 between Langeberg Mall off‑ramp and Dana Bay was closed to normal traffic due to heavy smoke and poor visibility while emergency services from the Garden Route district co-ordinated firefighting resources. The highway was re-opened just after 5am on Wednesday.
At midnight the fire had not yet been contained, the Mossel Bay municipality said. Aerial firefighting support involving helicopters and fixed‑wing aircraft was withdrawn at 7pm due to low light and strong winds. The municipality said firefighting crews would, however, “remain actively busy on the fire lines through the night …
A drone with infrared capabilities has been utilised to determine the extent of the fire and identify hotspots.” Two firefighters sustained injuries during firefighting operations. Some damage has occurred to municipal infrastructure. However, the electricity supply remains stable.
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There are also reports of Wi-Fi infrastructure being damaged. Two structures on a farm to the left of the R43 were destroyed and two others were damaged Many of the evacuees were assisted by family and friends, while nearby guesthouses, private households and the ATKV Hartenbos schools offered accommodation. The municipality said that though numbers are currently not confirmed, multiple structures have been damaged.
Fire crews on site came from the Mossel Bay, Garden Route, Hessequa and George municipalities. Multiple water trucks were also deployed from departments within the Mossel Bay municipality and private individuals who volunteered assistance. At Pearly Beach, residents were advised against travel on Tuesday after a fire that began on Sunday reignited due to strong winds.
Firefighting teams were enduring strong winds with flames on both sides of the R43 on two flanks: one burning towards Pearly Beach and the other moving towards the Baardskeerdersbos gravel road. At 6am on Wednesday, Overstrand municipal manager Dean O’Neill said:
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