Eight Die In Devastating George Blaze

Eight people have perished in the fire burning out of control in Karatara – situated between Knysna and George. The death toll a few hours ago was four but escalated to 8 as the fire ripped through the area.

Police official, Captain Malcolm Pojie, told News 24 a pregnant woman was among those killed. At 6pm, it was reported that one adult, two toddlers and a baby had died due to the raging fire.

The blaze in the Vermaaklikheid area has been burning since the previous Sunday – effectively, this means firefighters have been battling to bring the Garden Route fire under control for 8 days. 

 

Residents in the affected areas have been evacuated for their safety, and the Outeniqua Pass has been closed. Emergency services in the area have warned locals and travelers to take extra precaution.

 

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A post shared by Kate (@kathrynwitthuhn) on Oct 29, 2018 at 10:46am PDT

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Our beloved mountain is on fire and it's a sad day for the garden route ❤️ . . . #dji #gardenroute #georgefires #wildfires #eden #outeniqua #mountain #drone #footage #2018 #george #gardenroutefires #firedisaster

A post shared by Aerial | Earthscapes | Travel (@junerichardsphotography) on Oct 29, 2018 at 10:20am PDT

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And the mountains still burn. The Outeniqua Mountains at George in the Western Cape. #GeorgeFires

A post shared by Roger de la Harpe (@rogerdelaharpe) on Oct 27, 2018 at 11:25am PDT

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George fires the last 3 days… #georgefires #fire

A post shared by Rudolph Gerber (@rock_dolf) on Oct 29, 2018 at 6:41am PDT

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Less of an adventure 😢 – when your parents have to evacuate house due to the uncontrolled fires in George. We just walked through these forests less than 2 weeks ago! Really praying for the safety of the people, animals and trusting for the fires to come to an end. We can so easily take a house over our heads for granted. And when you have to choose what you take with you – it’s not the new leather couch or 4×4 caravan but the little pieces of sentiment and family memories like photo albums or the animals we ❤️. #ragingfire #georgefire #trusting #fires #george #family #blessedwithfamily #heatwave #concerned #caring #howdowehelp #calitztribe

A post shared by Passport 4 Adventure (@passportadventure.za) on Oct 29, 2018 at 6:25am PDT

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To my #socialmediafamily Last few days my parents have been keeping me updated on the wildfires going on in #outeniqua and #george Well the wind has turned and people in the affected area are being evacuated! Just asking for all of you to keep everyone in these areas in your thoughts and prayers as well as the brave men and women fighting these fires! Photo credit to my parents! (They have evacutaed and are safe, will keep posting as I know more about these fires) #georgefire #georgefires2018 #besafe #thoughtsandprayers #firefighters #bravefirefighters #southafrica

A post shared by Monique Boucher (@mommybear_92) on Oct 29, 2018 at 5:51am PDT

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#outeniqua mountain #georgefire

A post shared by Andrew Marshall (@andrewmarshall_buzzard) on Oct 27, 2018 at 1:25pm PDT