WATCH: Kouga wildfires force evacuations, cause power outages
Frightening scenes unfolded in the Eastern Cape on Friday morning, as massive wildfires continued to sweep across parts of Kouga Municipality.
Dramatic footage shows flames tearing through several areas, as firefighters battle to bring the blazes under control.
The municipality says crews have been dealing with flare-ups throughout the night.
Officials have confirmed properties have been damaged in the Smith Town and Kromme River areas, where a helicopter was dispatched to provide aerial support.
Emergency evacuations were ordered on Thursday for residents in the path of the fires.
Eskom says the blazes have caused significant power outages in the Kouga, Humansdorp, and Sarah Baartman areas.
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Meanwhile, in Mossel Bay in the Western Cape, community safety officials say arson hasn't been ruled out in connection with a vegetation fire that broke out in the Aalwyndal area earlier this week.
Several properties and cars were damaged.
Police are still probing the cause of the blaze.
Community Safety MMC Leon Van Dyk says they are assisting in the investigation.
" There's a lot of speculation. There was a previous felt fire that was prevalent on the 5th of January, but we are following up some leads in terms of potential arson where people were seen to be setting a light, the field on the northern side and that is unconfirmed and that still needs to be discussed with the South African Police Service in terms of how we deal with that."
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