Human Interest
Smokers suspected to have caused St Francis Bay fire─── 10:07 Wed, 19 Dec 2018
The fires that damaged luxury houses in the holiday town of St Francis Bay in the Eastern Cape are suspected to have been caused by a group of people smoking in the bush.
At least 12 houses were completely gutted while another 20 were damaged by the fire. Mop-up operations will get underway on Wednesday morning. Authorities will assess the extent of the damage.
All roads to the holiday village are open. However, members of the public are requested to stay away from the fire-stricken area as it may still be unsafe. Many people were evacuated.
Homes situated in thick, lush bush caught embers, fanning an inferno which gutted homes. Some residents lost their homes.
”I got, from a group, a photo saying there’s a fire in St Francis and when I looked at the photo I saw the house burning. I said let’s just get here, maybe we can evacuate something, but when we got here it was too late,” says one resident.
Community members joined in their numbers to support those affected by bringing much-needed water.
eNCA reports that firefighters are still at the scene to ensure the fire is contained.
