Residents from small coastal towns near Cape Town in South Africa have been evacuated as wildfires rage down from surrounding mountains and continue to spread uncontrollably. Authorities issued a full evacuation of Pringle Bay, a coastal village popular with holidaymakers about 50 miles away from Cape Town, on Tuesday.
On Monday, a wildfire broke out in Betty's Bay, causing many residents to evacuate. The fire was fueled by hot and dry weather along with strong coastal winds.
Wildfires are not uncommon in the mountains near Cape Town and along the South African coast during the summer. It is uncommon for towns to be entirely evacuated. Annelie Rabie, the mayor of the Overstrand municipality, which is responsible for these towns, reported that the area has experienced up to six wildfires. According to her, four of them have been contained or extinguished, but one is currently heading directly towards Pringle Bay.
The government of Overstrand has reported that a few homes have been destroyed by fire. Though there have been no reports of injuries, the authorities have declared a code red warning, indicating that the fires pose a severe and immediate threat to both people and property. Additionally, approximately 95% of a nearby nature reserve has also been burned, according to the government's statement.
According to local authorities, residents of Pringle Bay are moving to a nearby town while firefighters are working on controlling remaining fires. In the region, helicopters are being used to scoop up water from the ocean and dump it on the fires, which is a common tactic. Over the past few weeks, wildfires have broken out in various parts of South Africa's Western Cape province.
One of them occurred over the weekend on the slopes of the world-famous Table Mountain overlooking Cape Town, but it was quickly brought under control. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment stated that their firefighting crews are working on wildfires in four regions of the Western Cape, with one fire having been burning for nine days.
Multiple images are circulating depicting wildfires in South Africa In 2021, a massive fire swept across Table Mountain, causing extensive damage and requiring days to put out. According to the Western Cape local government, the most common causes of wildfires are discarded cigarettes, people lighting cooking fires or burning debris, and occasionally arson. Coastal winds fan the fires and can make them unpredictable.
Uncontrolled fires continue to devastate the Breede Valley and Witzenberg regions of South Africa, fueled by relentless winds. #CapeTown #Wildfire #Africa #Bushfire #BreedeValley #Witzenberg #Kluitjieskraal #Wolseley #Weather #Viral #Climate pic.twitter.com/1j0ymz2fes— Leyla Salma (@leyla_salma) January 30, 2024
Photo Credits: X(Twitter)
(With Input from agencies)
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