The Kouga Municipality has been declared a local disaster area due to devastating fires in parts of the region.
Executive Mayor, Elza van Lingen, said this decision was taken at a special council meeting on Monday afternoon.
Van Lingen said the purpose of the declaration is for the Sarah Baartman District to notify the provincial administration, so that it can take the necessary steps to formalise the declaration.
She said the municipality received reports on Monday morning that matters were under control, however some parts had been left without electricity and water.
She added that there were still fires in Loerie and Crossways on Monday afternoon, but emergency services were attending to them.
Lingen said the municipality was concerned about reports that the wind would pick up and might reach 60 kilometeres per hour on Tuesday.
She said as of Monday afternoon, the area had about 110 firefighters per shift.
"The Thornhill fire was the worst of the lot and that's where our firefighters are still fighting the fires. We've sent quite a few of them home because the worst of the fire is over. At the moment I think we have got a 110 firefighters per shift cleaning up at the back and trying to do something to stop the head of the fire," she said.
Van Lingen said the municipality had no reason to suspect arson, following liaison with the police and the fire department.
She also appealed to residents travelling on the N2 and R102 to reduce speed, as there could be roaming animals after the fences along the route were destroyed by fire.
