A large fire in Mossel Bay, South Africa’s Western Cape, has forced evacuations and disrupted traffic on the N2, a key national highway route along the country’s southern coastline.
The latest traffic update indicates the N2 outside Mossel Bay reopened to normal flow at 05:16 on Wednesday after being closed for several hours overnight due to the fire and unsafe visibility conditions caused by smoke.
N2 reopened after smoke-related closure overnight
The road was closed from 23:20 on Tuesday between the Langeberg Mall off-ramp and Dana Bay in the direction of Cape Town, with heavy smoke cited as the reason for the shutdown.
The same update said the joint operations centre remained activated on Wednesday morning as the incident response continued.
The fire prompted evacuations in Island View, Vakansieplaas and Aalwyndal after several structures and vehicles were affected, with officials warning on Tuesday night that strong winds were hampering containment efforts.
Mossel Bay Local Municipality said at the time that it could not yet confirm the number of structures and vehicles damaged, and noted that most evacuees were staying with friends or family.
Support sent from George as firefighting operations expanded
George Fire and Disaster Services said it deployed a 35,000-litre water tanker and a skid unit to support Mossel Bay Fire and Rescue, describing the tanker as an essential water supply and the skid unit as support for firefighting in difficult terrain.
George Municipality said its team withdrew at 07:30 on Wednesday but remained available should further assistance be needed, with the acting municipal manager describing the incident as a “devastating blaze.”
Authorities have not yet released a confirmed breakdown of damage, including the number of affected structures or vehicles, as assessments continue.
Officials previously urged the public to remain calm and follow instructions from emergency personnel while suppression and structure protection continued.
