Southern Africa Safari 2017 : Southern Africa Safari 2017 – Planning Phase

The Great Knysna Garden Route Fire June 2017

I thought I would have a problem with news from Knysna 3 weeks ago, how wrong I was and our preparations for our Southern Africa Safari 2017 have by circumstance become more complex and a good deal more urgent.

The circumstance was the fires that raged along the garden route and the devastation they wrought on places from Wilderness to Thornhill just West of Port Elizabeth, it is difficult to describe the events starting on Wednesday the 7^th of June and our photos do not fully show the tragedy that resulted from a “perfect fire” We have been in drought conditions for the last 4 months and as a result the vegetation was very dry helped along with a lot more days than normal of berg winds (hot winds from the North) over the last few months and these conditions were coupled on the 7^th June with gale force winds.

Dr Guy Preston, PhD (Environmental Science) Deputy Director-General: Environmental Programmes, Department of Environmental Affairs stated that “in 72 hours 10,000 hectares and in excess of 500 structures in the Garden Route were burnt, some houses simply reduced to a heap of rubble and vast swathes of pine plantations burnt.

1. The regional drought conditions,

2. The fuel load in the environment and suburbs,

3. Topography of the area,

4. Hot ambient air conditions,

5. The speed of the wind reported to be between 90km/hr and 100km/hr with gusts up to 110km/hr. Like a bellows, winds of this speed can fan a fire and superheat it in excess of 2000°C which is exactly what occurred on the 7^th June 2017.

Each of these conditions would contribute to a fire, indeed the combination of two or three conditions would generate a formidable fire, but the combination of all five factors produced a historical fire”

We still do not know what started the fire but whatever it was it had the perfect setting for the disaster that unfolded, fires were still flaring up 3 weeks later and many have lost their houses and all their possessions and regrettably we were one of the unfortunate victims of what can only be described as a catastrophe. The very sad part is that we hear that 45% of those who lost homes were not insured.

On a positive note, if there can be one, is the incredible support given to the garden route communities by individuals, companies, charities, churches of all denominations, municipalities and the Western Cape government, aid has simply poured in from all over South Africa and beyond, so much so that it has restored our faith in humankind.

Denise has come up with a perfect analogy for how we feel at present and it goes something like this:-

“I equate this disaster to a unwanted pregnancy and as pregnancy's go you will suffer from morning sickness, indigestion, uncomfortableness and cravings that cannot be satisfied, as well as labour pains when I come to term (opting for an epidural) I know that I will get over these conditions and blossom again there will be periods of great excitement, wonder and awe then after 9 months I will give birth to a new life a wonderful gift and I will give thanks to one and all”

A little about our own personal experience; we played golf on that fateful morning and had enjoyed the challenge of playing in the wind, that had not reached gale force, but made golf very interesting. At the end of our round we sat chatting over a glass of beer watching the heavy smoke that was building up in the West and particularly on the West Head and then we noted fire had broken out on the East Head. As we drove home we could see this was not a small fire like we had witnessed a couple of times over the last couple of months, which helicopters carrying large buckets of water had put out in a few hours. On arriving home we could see the fire had reached the area around the Montessori School and we were later to learn that it had jumped the Knysna River. The fire we are told started in Rheenandal and had come down towards Westward Bridge and the Red Bridge where we are told it jumped the river assisted by what were now gale force winds.

I was intent on watching South Africa play cricket in the Champions Tournament, but always had one eye on the fire that was spreading at an alarming rate towards the West and looked like it would miss us. Denise, ever practical said we should pack a few essentials and Snuggles our African Grey Parrot in the car all the time believing it was just a sensible precaution and we would be back in our home later that evening, how wrong we were.

The flames were over 30 metres high and they travelled along the top of pine trees at over 100km/hr

Our neighbour came to the door and told me I had 90 seconds to evacuate and if I did nothing else get my car out of the garage, I thought his timing was an exaggeration until he told me he had the ex Fire Chief was in his car who had told him that when the fire reached the Old Cape Road it would roar up the ridge due to the high wind speeds. I went back into the house to get more feeding bowls for our parrot Snuggles, not exactly an essential, and as I got into my car embers and ash were falling on me and the car, the ex fire chief was wrong it took 120 seconds.

We spent that night at Karen’s Guest House along with 7 others friends, but we could see the fires coming down from Pezula Estate and a friend, Billy McClelland, and I went out to assess the evacuation points they were asking people to go to, which was an exercise in futility as nobody had a clue. We then decided to go to our homes in Eastford Glen and Vale to see if they had escaped the fire, but sadly they had not and we had to take the bad news back to Denise and Anne.

We were fortunate to have Michael come down to give us any assistance we needed and the very much needed morale support, and our friends Billy and Anne were also blessed when their son Colin and his wife Andrea flew down to support them.

Of our group only Billy and I lost our houses, Ivor lost two vehicles and a boat with all his fishing gear and Kevin and Jenny were happily surprised to find their timber home in Paradise still standing when they went home, as was the house of Susanne, who Denise evacuated from Eastford.

To say we have been fortunate would be the understatement of the decade, firstly we have our lives, secondly through my brother-in-law Cedric, a Pastor, putting our fate on Facebook a member of his congregation in Witbank offered us his holiday home in Costa Sarda and although Karen, my daughter, told us we could stay in the Guest House we felt the offer from Cassie and Sanel was a no brainer what with many events like the Oyster Festival coming up and the guest house fully booked in early July. We are eternally grateful to Karen, Cassie, Sanel, Cedric, Loraine, Harry and Liz Mike and Dee, Billy and Anne, Colin and Andrea, Lorenza and Wiseman to name but a few.

We are also very relieved that the fire hit Knysna in the day as if it had come in the middle of the night the casualty’s would have been very much higher than the 9 lost lives reported.

Now we have to shop for everything required for our trip in a month’s time, the list goes something like this:-

Additional Spare wheel, Recovery equipment, Compressor, Tools, Jerry Cans (Fuel and Water) Storage Containers, Shovel, Axe, Clothes, Shoes, Suitcases and the list goes on. Luckily I packed our passports, vehicle registration papers, camera equipment, title deeds for the house, insurance file, computers, portable hard drive and although we felt we would be going back to our house there must have been something in our sub conscious that urged us to pack what we did. Some residents stayed and fought the fire and we wondered if we could have done so, but with both power and water cut off it is doubtful we would have been successful and could have died in the attempt.

We have decided that we will rebuild the house and we will be positive and start to rebuild our memories and next months trip will be a happy start to new memories. Having said that we both often remember something else we will never see again. We have battled to get a full night sleep, the mind just races away often about silly things.

I have to share one more event coming out of the fire, our African Grey parrot did not stop feeding his face for two weeks and basically until the smell of smoke had largely dissipated, Denise says it must be the smell of smoke that triggers animals to eat as they know food may be hard to come by, I think it is a highly probable behaviour.

One thing we do not have to worry about is what clothing we should take on our trip we just take what we have, it will all fit into one suitcase.

All we can hope for now is that the insurance settle with enough for us to rebuild, so far they have come to the party and have been very considerate, if a little slow, but as one of the Insurance staff said this is a very complex claim and it will take a little time.

I will post more often now that we are into the final 30 days of count down.