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St Francis Bay wildfire destroys several houses

Houses on fire
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A runaway fire has destroyed at least 20 houses in the popular holiday town of St Francis Bay near Port Elizabeth,  Eastern Cape.

Residents are being evacuated as the fire spreads through the town. Fire Officer, Dewald Barnard, says all the houses that have been gutted had thatched roofs.

It is believed that the blaze was started by a bush fire. Although the fire is under control at the moment, Barnard says the strong gale force wind of up to 60 kilometres per hour might cause further damage.

A number of roads have also been closed.

“Every now and then you see this big black smoke that seems to have jumped. I don’t know if it’s another home burning. It certainly looked like that but I don’t have the facts to verify that. It looks really bad. The Kouga Municipality has sent out an emergency message evacuation out for all the residents that are on Cece Drive and Harbour Drive,” says Elsabe Boshoff, a St Francis Bay resident.

The Kouga Municipality says it has deployed additional fire personnel to assist in extinguishing the runaway fires.

At least 20 thatched roof houses have already been gutted by the fire.

The municipality’s speaker, Hatting Bornman says it’s all hands on deck at the moment. But the strong gale force winds are making it difficult for the firemen. He says no reports of fatalities have been received.

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