An unusually large south Atlantic storm struck the southern coast of South Africa on 7 June 2017 with wind speeds as high as 120 km/h.[1] Wave heights of 9–12 metres were recorded between Cape Columbine and Cape Agulhas.[2] The storm directly caused eight deaths and damaged 135 schools across the Western Cape. Around 800 homes were flooded across the city of Cape Town due to the storm.[3]
Despite dropping up to 50 mm of rain the storm did not break the Cape Town water crisis affecting the region.[4]
High winds of 50 km/h caused by the storm fueled around 20 to 30 significant fires that swept through the town of Knysna and surrounding areas in the days after the storm.[5] The fires killed seven people[6] and displaced around 10,000[7][8] with around 600 structures in Knysna and Plettenberg Bay being destroyed.[6]
The fires were notable for involving the largest deployment of firefighters in South Africa to that date. A total of 985 firefighters along with 78 vehicles, ten helicopters, and two fixed winged aircraft were used in combating the fire between 6 June and 10 June 2017.[6] It is estimated that the fires caused between R4 billion and R5 billion (around US$297 million to US$372 million) in damages to private property with an additional R136 million worth of damage done to public infrastructure.[6]
Unofficial preliminary conjecture suggested that some of the fires might have been lit by arsonists.[9]
However, it was later found that the fires started as a result of lightning. Forensic scientist Dr David Klatzow ruled out arson as the cause of the Knysna fires which killed seven people and left many homeless.[10]
