Kouga firemen battle the blazing flames, spraying water to protect homes and farmland from the rapidly spreading fire Scores of residents and holidaymakers in the Kouga region of the Eastern Cape were forced to flee their homes on Thursday afternoon as sporadic fires bore down on them. People streamed out of their homes along the R330 between Humansdorp and Hankey, as well as in St Francis Bay and the Twin Valley–Smithtown area, in a bid to escape the flames. Kouga mayor Hattingh Bornman toldIOLthe origin of the fires, which knocked out electricity in some areas, had not yet been determined, but they were spreading rapidly.
He said the N2 between Jeffreys Bay and Humansdorp was also closed, forcing all traffic onto the R102. This led to long delays, with several crashes reported as traffic backed up. In a statement, issued earlier in the day, Bornman said immediate evacuation was required due to the fires.
Water arcs from a fire hose as crews battle a massive conflagration “Zwartenbosch residents along the R330, in the direction of Hankey, in the vicinity of the poultry farm, on both sides of the road, must evacuate immediately,” he said. “Oyster Bay Road residents in the surrounding farming areas must also evacuate immediately … [and those in] Kromme River and Riverside.”
