Wildfires in Overberg and Kommetjie Prompt Safety Warning from Western Cape Government

• The Western Cape government has urged residents to avoid fire-starting activities as firefighters battle several wildfires
• The province's reports show provincial aerial firefighting costs have already exceeded R2.4 million to assist
• It said that the surge in wildfires across the province has put pressure on available firefighting resources

Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.

WESTERN CAPE - The Western Cape government has urged residents to exercise extreme caution with activities that could spark wildfires, as firefighting services remain under pressure across the province.

Firefighting services under pressure

Over the past few days, crews have battled multiple fires, including major incidents in the Overberg region and Kommetjie on Monday, 22 December 2025. Provincial reports indicated that aerial firefighting resources have already been deployed to 23 wildfire incidents since the start of the fire season in November 2025, at a cost exceeding R2.4 million. Authorities said the high frequency of wildfires has placed significant strain on available firefighting resources, particularly in high-risk areas where aerial support has been required to contain fast-spreading blazes.

Read also

"This is my worst nightmare": Eastern Cape village invaded by millipedes, SA astonished

According to EWN, Western Cape Disaster Management Centre head Colin Deiner warned that weather conditions are likely to worsen over the festive season. He said hot and windy conditions expected over Christmas and New Year could cause even small fires to escalate rapidly, posing a serious threat to lives and property. Deiner added that many of the fires were linked to negligence or deliberate actions. While no serious injuries or fatalities have been reported so far, several properties have already suffered damage as a result of the wildfires.

Other fire-related stories

Nearly 150 people have been left homeless after several fires destroyed informal structures in Cape Town, while hundreds more were displaced in separate incidents in Khayelitsha. Close to 50 shacks were gutted by fire at Overcome Heights near Muizenberg, leaving dozens of families without shelter. In a separate blaze in Khayelitsha, about 80 shacks were destroyed, displacing hundreds of residents.

Read also

Free State bus crash highlights dangers of overloaded vehicles

A total of 35 people were left homeless after a fire destroyed four houses on 25 May. The cause of the fire remains unknown. One of the residents whose home was burned said that she was on her way home from work when she saw her neighbour's house on fire. She didn't realise that her house was also on fire.

Three children were killed when a shack caught fire in an informal settlement in Tembisa, Ekurhuleni, on 14 September 2025. Their mother was arrested for child neglect. One of the children's teachers said that the family lived in terrible conditions.

Bloemfontein woman and 2 children die in fire

In a related article, Briefly News reported that a woman from Bloemfontein in the Free State and her two children were killed in a shack fire on 21 March 2025. A candle caused the flame.

Her eldest son had gone to the shops and locked the shack when the fire broke out.

Source: Briefly News