On Monday, Hessequa municipal manager Johan Jacobs said that two thatched houses on the banks of the Duivenhoksriver were destroyed in the fire.

Fortunately, firefighters were able to save three other houses from a similar fate.

“We are helping the Garden Route District Municipality. We are assisting with the structural fires, so there are big firefighting teams on the ground,” he said.

Two ground crews, two tankers and a skid unit have been deployed to the area.

“We can’t say that the fire has been contained yet. We can only confirm once we receive a report from our aerial resources,” Jacobs said.