Four people – a baby‚ two toddlers and an adult – died in a raging forest fire in George in the Western Cape on Monday evening.
“They were killed in the forest area. It is not part of the original fire‚ so this is a second fire that started a day or two later.
“We are doing what we can. It’s an ongoing struggle and it remains critical at this stage‚” Western Cape local government spokesperson James-Brent Styan said.
Earlier Monday Styan said the fire was “serious” and three areas were evacuated as a precaution.
By Monday evening‚ at least 200 people have been evacuated in the nearby Knysna area and are being housed in the Karatara Community Hall.
“The problem is the interface between the town and the forest where this fire is coming from. It is coming down from the mountain‚ down the Outeniqua Pass‚” Styan said.
The Western Cape Disaster Management Centre‚ Working on Fire and two municipalities were battling the raging blazes in the province.
The Outeniqua Pass remained closed on Monday evening.