Knysna – The destruction of at least 300 properties caused by five days of raging fire on the south-east coast could run into billions, while the loss of seven lives, hectares of forest, domestic and wild animals is incalculable.
Estate agents working in the area said the average cost of a home in Rheenendal is between R5million and R6m. While property on Brenton-on-Sea costs anything from R2.1m for a house and R1.8m for an apartment.
Provincial local government spokesperson James-Brent Styan said 1106 firefighters from several fire-fighting agencies, were fighting a 100km fire line between Sedgefield and Plettenberg Bay.
Styan confirmed the seven deceased included a 24-year-old firefighter, a 63-year-old man near Concordia and the mother of a 3-year-old who died in Tygerberg Hospital on Sunday.
“Fire commanders confirmed no losses had been suffered in Buffel’s Bay and some fires on Saturday were deliberate ‘back-burns’ to protect the town from runaway flames. A fire in the vicinity of Sedgefield remains a concern today (Sunday),” he said.
He said assessments on damage caused by the fire had not been conducted yet.
On Saturday, Styan said firefighters combated flames to protect the village of Rheenendal and Wit Lokasie settlement. At the weekend a SANParks team was tasked by the Joint Operating Committee to map affected infrastructure, as a means to assess losses incurred in the fire.
Historian Phillip Caveney from the Knysna Historical Society said the last time a fire of this magnitude hit the town of Knysna was in 1869, apparently a one in every 150 years' cycle.
Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie warned the public to ignore emerging fake news “attempts to derail humanitarian need to Knysna”.
“We appeal to social media operators to revert from this practice as it creates further havoc and chaos in a situation where resources are already stretched to its limit.”
Standard Bank announced it would be donating R10million in aid after the Western Cape disasters.
Pick n Pay, South African National Zakah Fund, National Sea Rescue Institute and many other South African companies were engaged in relief efforts.
Meanwhile, the City of Cape Town is in the process of collating damage costs due to the storm which lashed the city last week.
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