PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Eight homes were gutted and five more damaged when a fire broke out in Qolweni in Plettenberg Bay last week.

This marks the start of Bitou’s “fire season”, when blazes become more prevalent during the colder winter months.

The Bitou municipal communication team said the fire broke out in the Ward 3 informal settlement on 5 June.

Bitou emergency and disaster management services responded to the incident and reported that eight homes were destroyed and five others partially damaged in the fire that swept through the area.

Emergency services contained the fire and no fatalities were reported.

“A total of 13 houses have been impacted by the fire. Eight structures were completely destroyed while five were partially damaged,” the team said.

The affected families were given emergency materials including blankets, food parcels and mattresses while they were housed at the Bicycle Shed Community Hall overnight, before being handed emergency housing kits to rebuild their homes the following day.

See Bitou Municipality disaster and emergency department's  safety tips and how to avoid fires in this week's Knysna-Plett Herald.

‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’