PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Mopping-up operations are still being carried out today, 16 January, at Qolweni in Plettenberg Bay following a devastating fire that burnt an estimated 20 shacks to the ground.

The blaze, which started after 19:00 last night (Monday), continued for more than two hours before it was brought under control. 

The fire engulfed a section of Qolweni, next to the N2 in Plettenberg Bay, opposite the taxi rank and pedestrian bridge along the N2.

Bitou Ward 3 councillor Thembela Mhlana said emergency fire services and personnel found it difficult to reach the scene of the blaze because shacks had been built so close to each other.

“Fortunately there were no injuries,” said Mhlana this morning.

Mhlana estimates that about 20 shacks were destroyed in the fire which, according to reports he received, started in a house behind a barber shop. 

Information was still being collated to establish the exact extent of the damage the blaze caused.

The fire sent billows of smoke up into the night sky.

Flames shot meters high into the air and the odd explosion, from what appeared to have been gas bottles, rocked the area. Crowds of people gathered on the verge of the N2. 

Residents from the affected area stacked what belongings they could salvage along the N2 opposite the Piesang Valley turn-off.

The fire service brought the blaze under control at about 21:00. An appeal has been made for emergency items which included blankets, clothing, toiletries and school clothing to be dropped off at the Native Roots Shelter in Marine Way, Plettenberg Bay.

The fire engulfed a number of Qolweni homes.

Mhlana said a number of fires had happened in the area last year. He appealed to the community to be cautious when building shacks to ensure that they not be placed too close together. 

He said emergency services had very little space to work in and vehicles and personnel had a problem getting to the actual scene of the fire quickly.

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