{"id":10957,"date":"2026-01-08T09:53:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T09:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/10957\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T09:53:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T09:53:09","slug":"raging-veld-fires-in-nelson-mandela-bay-force-k9-unit-evacuation-cause-multi-vehicle-accident","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/10957\/","title":{"rendered":"Raging veld fires in Nelson Mandela Bay force K9 Unit evacuation, cause multi-vehicle accident"},"content":{"rendered":"

Several raging veld and bush fires continued to tear through parts of Nelson Mandela Bay on Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of the police K9 unit and triggering a multi-vehicle accident.<\/p>\n

Traffic was again disrupted on the N2 between Nelson Mandela Bay and Jeffreys Bay after a fire near Van Stadens, which had earlier been brought under control, reignited amid gusty winds, sending thick plumes of smoke across the highway and reducing visibility.<\/p>\n

In a late-afternoon notice, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality\u2019s Fire and Emergency Services warned motorists that that section of the N2 had been closed once again.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fire, previously brought under control earlier today, has reignited due to strong winds, prompting the closure of the N2 once again. The fire poses a significant threat, and residents are advised to exercise caution, stay alert and avoid the area,\u201d said the municipality.<\/p>\n

Six firefighting vehicles remained deployed in the area. Authorities said shifting winds were complicating firefighting efforts, with teams focused on protecting nearby communities and infrastructure.<\/p>\n

\"Kyran-Fires\"A man walks through dense bush just metres from a raging veld fire near the N2. (Photo: Deon Ferreira) \"Kyran-Fires\"Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality firefighting crews battle a veld fire alongside the N2 on Tuesday afternoon.
(Photo: Deon Ferreira) <\/p>\n

At least four vehicles were involved in an accident on the N2 near the Wind Farm petrol station, where thick plumes of smoke made driving conditions extremely hazardous.<\/p>\n

The municipality said that a combination of hot summer temperatures, low rainfall and the region\u2019s strong, unpredictable winds has created near-perfect conditions for fires to spread rapidly, stretching firefighting resources and keeping communities on high alert.<\/p>\n

Read more: Nelson Mandela Bay on high alert after dry, windy veld fires ignite home and highway hazards<\/a><\/p>\n

Substation damaged<\/p>\n

Firefighters also battled a separate blaze in a bush area near the Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport in Forest Hill.<\/p>\n

Ward 2 councillor Sean Tappan said the fire had burned through a graveyard and damaged the Summerstrand substation, leaving large parts of the area and neighbouring neighbourhoods without electricity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is damage to the substation, so the electricity supply is currently off and under assessment,\u201d said Tappan. \u201cThe fire has also spread to the Strandfontein Road municipal tip.\u201d Electricity was restored to Summerstrand in the early evening.<\/p>\n

Tappan said the Protea Children\u2019s Home and Summer Dunes Retirement Village had been placed on standby as a precaution, while the Summerstrand Neighbourhood Watch, traffic officers, metro police and the fire department worked to manage traffic and limit further damage.<\/p>\n

\"Kyran-MoreFires\"Thick plumes of smoke hang over Summerstrand as veld fires, fuelled by dry summer conditions, rip through parts of Nelson Mandela Bay. City law enforcement and fire crews were on the scene. (Photo: Supplied \/ Sean Tappan) <\/p>\n

Summerstrand Neighbourhood Watch chair Ian Millar said residents had reported seeing a man starting some of the fires in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spoke to several people who said they had seen a man lighting fires. He was later found in the afternoon and taken to the police station for the necessary processes,\u201d said Millar.<\/p>\n

Describing the fire as intense, Millar said: \u201cLarge trees were brought down, and flames tore through branches and leaves. You could feel the heat from inside your car while driving past. It was a big fire, and it is not over yet \u2014 we still need to keep an eye on it tonight.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a number of bush-dwellers nearby, and we hope they are able to move to safety before the fire reaches them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Sterling job\u2019<\/p>\n

He praised firefighters, workers from other emergency services, and the community for their swift response to an appeal for supplies to support firefighting efforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur firefighters did a sterling job protecting buildings in the path of the fire. Army fire teams were also involved and have been doing excellent work,\u201d said Millar.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe asked residents for water, sugary sweets and eye drops, and were overwhelmed by the response. Donations were dropped off at the Sasol petrol station and distributed to firefighters as they continued working.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Kyran-MoreFires\"A substation damaged during a veld fire in Summerstrand, Nelson Mandela Bay, on Wednesday, 7 January. (Photo: Supplied \/ Sean Tappan) \"Kyran-MoreFires\"A smouldering fire burns dangerously close to a substation supplying electricity to Summerstrand. Parts of the suburb were left without power on Wednesday, 7 January. (Photo: Supplied \/ Sean Tappan) <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, police confirmed that fires in Southdene had forced the evacuation of the SAPS K9 Unit on Wednesday when flames threatened the premises.<\/p>\n

Police spokesperson Captain Andr\u00e9 Beetge said dry vegetation and strong winds had caused the fire to spread rapidly towards the K9 Unit.<\/p>\n

\u201cDue to the dryness of the surrounding bushes, further fuelled by strong winds, the Nelson Mandela Bay Fire Department issued evacuation orders as the fire began encroaching on the K9 Unit premises,\u201d said Beetge.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt about 12, all K9 dogs were safely evacuated and relocated to privately owned kennelling facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

No SAPS members or staff were injured, he said.<\/p>\n

The Ndlambe Local Municipality, which includes Port Alfred and Kenton-on-Sea, warned motorists travelling between Boknes and Klipfontein (along the R72) to exercise extreme caution due to an active veld fire.<\/p>\n

The municipality said its fire and emergency services were on the scene and managing the situation. DM <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Several raging veld and bush fires continued to tear through parts of Nelson Mandela Bay on Wednesday, forcing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10958,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[7539,7541,1235,7538,7540,7543,7544,4042,7542,131,7537],"class_list":{"0":"post-10957","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-south-africa","8":"tag-fire-danger","9":"tag-fires","10":"tag-gqeberha","11":"tag-k9-unit","12":"tag-kyran-blaauw","13":"tag-n2","14":"tag-ndlambe-municipality","15":"tag-nelson-mandela-bay","16":"tag-sean-tappan","17":"tag-south-africa","18":"tag-veld-fire"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10957"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10957\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}