Wild-fires cause ‘severe devastation’ in Knysna. What is the origin of this disaster?

The wildfire in Knysna is the largest and most destructive fire where more than 10 000 people were forced to flee their homes overnight as fires fuelled by storm winds ripped through the Western Cape coastal town. It comes on the back of the worst storm seen in the Western Cape in at least thirty years.  Please leave your comments below.

Over 400 formal structures and 200 informal structures have been destroyed.

A heart-breaking disaster.  -  Image above - Knysna Fire Relief

As rescue efforts and evacuations are coming to a conclusion, the attention now turns to what exactly caused the fires that have killed nine people and displaced more than 10,000.

26 separate fires started simultaneously on the same day in 12 suburbs of Knysna, what caused this?

With hours of news feeds and articles researched….
There could be a couple of different reasons.  I don't know. Clinton Manuel, the head of the fire department for Sedgefield and Knysna said the cause of the fire is still unknown.

A Forensic investigator, Klatzkow, believes arson is the cause of Knysna fires.

Simultaneous fires starting at the same time‚ "raises a big red flag" and suggests "deliberate agency"‚ says forensic investigator David Klatzow.

Firefighters have been responding to 26 separate fires in the Garden Route town, and Klatzkow is adamant that a thorough investigation is needed, saying:
“It is unusual for fires to start simultaneously. When you start an investigation‚ you need an open mind. You start looking for an innocent source [for a fire]. You look at negligence such as cigarettes tossed away and carelessness … somebody who was welding‚ a camp fire not put out properly. ...“[but] once there are three‚ four‚ five‚ 20 fires, you need an investigation”.

Klatzkow is a specialist in fire-related investigations.  MEC spokesman James-Brent Styan, who believes that it is unlikely that we’ll ever know where the fires began or how it was caused. 

Photo:  Raymond N Oliver    More Photos of this heart-breaking Disaster