Overview
- Overberg officials reported roughly 37,000 hectares affected from Pearly Beach toward Stanford and Salmonsdam, with limited containment and structure protection in Agulhas National Park.
- Authorities cautioned that a wind direction change could push active lines into unburnt areas on Friday, as heavy smoke and gusts hindered aerial support.
- Mossel Bay said all running fire lines were stopped by Thursday night, with mopping up under way, no additional property losses since 6 January, and no evacuations for more than 36 hours.
- Nelson Mandela Bay continued to face flare‑ups along the N2 that triggered a multi‑vehicle crash, forced evacuation of the SAPS K9 Unit, and damaged the Summerstrand substation before power was restored.
- Multi‑agency crews and volunteers, including Working on Fire and district teams, maintained ground and aerial operations while investigators assessed possible human ignition reports alongside weather‑driven risk.