On 7 June 2017, paramedics were standing by at fires in the Van Staadens Gorge and Thornhill areas of Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage, where fire fighters were battling the runaway fires. Reports from the scene indicate that both areas had to be evacuated due to the intensity of the fires.
During the night medics treated some of the fire fighters at the scene for eye irritations and smoke inhalation, none of them needed to be transported to hospital. As the day broke, the devastation was visible as many houses and veld areas were burnt to the ground.
South Africa Today – South Africa New
