Driven by near gale-force winds, the speed and force of a fire that in 24 hours destroyed homes, vehicles and farmlands northeast of Port Alfred on Sunday and Monday, shocked even the most experienced firefighters. Two landowners and some staff lost their homes to the blaze, dozens of people were evacuated, and grazing and infrastructure were razed. But those at the scene said massive support from farmers, the public and volunteer firefighting squads prevented a far worse outcome.
A fire believed to have started on or near the Port Alfred commonage at about 2pm on Sunday quickly spread in tinder-dry conditions to nearby Rocky Ridge. Winds of up to 60km/h drove the flames onto farmland at the junction of the Mooifontein Quarry road and the Kleinemonde link road that connects the R67 near Bathurst to the R72 opposite Riet River. Staff from affected farms were evacuated by Multi Security and spent the night at the Seafield police station.
Staff of the St Francis Health Centre were also evacuated. Standerwick Farm, which supplies Standerwick Garden Centre in Port Alfred, was razed. “We are devastated.
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Houses, stores, vehicles gone. There are no words,” owner Monique “Moon” Harvey posted on her Facebook page. “Thank you to all who helped.
How or where we start picking up the pieces … I don’t know.” A BackaBuddy campaign started on their behalf reads: “On January 18 2026 a devastating house fire destroyed the home of the Coville-Reeves family. [They] … lost everything in the fire, including all household contents and irreplaceable personal memories.
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