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7 June 2025
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Remembering the 2017 Knysna Fires; A day that changed Knysna forever
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Knysna Fire Services organised an event on Saturday, 7 June 2025, to remember the unspeakable loss and unimaginable bravery that defined that fateful time. The march started from the Main Road to the Finance Building in Clyde Street, every step a tribute to those we lost and a symbol of the resilience that has carried us ever since.
“On this day, eight years ago, Knysna was brought to its knees. The fires of 7June 2017, tore through our town with a ferocity no manual or training could have prepared us for. But even in the darkest of hours, the light of human courage and compassion shone through.”
“We remember the heroes who faced the roaring inferno with only grit and love for their community, firefighters who put their lives on the line to save others, some of whom never made it back. Their bravery is woven into the soul of this town and will never be forgotten.”
Knysna Executive Mayor Cllr Thando Matika, in his address, reminded us. “It has been eight years since the fires engulfed our town. That day left deep scars, homes reduced to ashes, landscapes blackened, lives forever altered. But from the smoke rose something stronger than fire: unity, resilience and hope.”
“To the families who lost loved ones, we see you. We carry your grief with reverence and your courage with honour. Your pain is etched into our collective memory, and your strength continues to inspire us.”
The keynote speaker, Member of Parliament Eleanore Bouw-Spies, served as Mayor during the 2017 disaster. With raw honesty, she reflected on the emotional toll of leading through such tragedy, from fainting in the JOC centre, to breaking the news of a death to a grieving family. She shared, for the first time, that only this year has she found the strength to begin counselling, a powerful reminder that healing takes time and vulnerability is a form of bravery.
“The commemoration was not just a ceremony, it was a promise. A promise to remember. A promise to honour. A promise to keep building a Knysna that is stronger, more united and ever more compassionate. We will never forget.”
Quote of the week
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” ~ John Quincy Adams
Fire and Rescue International is your magazine.
Read it, use it and share it!
Read the latest FRI magazine: https://www.frimedia.org/fri-vol-7-no-6.html
Read the latest Disaster Management Journal: https://www.frimedia.org/dmj-vol-6-no-1.html
FRI magazine archive: https://www.frimedia.org/fri-archives.html
DMJ magazine archive: https://www.frimedia.org/dmj-magazine.html
Enjoy the read!
Lee Raath-Brownie
Managing director
Cell: 082 371 0190
Contact us
Tel: 011 452 3135 or Email: [email protected]
Websites
www.fireandrescue.co
www.frimedia.org
Facebook
www.facebook.com/FireandRescueInternational
Twitter
www.twitter.com/FRI_magazine
LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-raath-brownie-16668065/
“On this day, eight years ago, Knysna was brought to its knees. The fires of 7June 2017, tore through our town with a ferocity no manual or training could have prepared us for. But even in the darkest of hours, the light of human courage and compassion shone through.”
“We remember the heroes who faced the roaring inferno with only grit and love for their community, firefighters who put their lives on the line to save others, some of whom never made it back. Their bravery is woven into the soul of this town and will never be forgotten.”
Knysna Executive Mayor Cllr Thando Matika, in his address, reminded us. “It has been eight years since the fires engulfed our town. That day left deep scars, homes reduced to ashes, landscapes blackened, lives forever altered. But from the smoke rose something stronger than fire: unity, resilience and hope.”
“To the families who lost loved ones, we see you. We carry your grief with reverence and your courage with honour. Your pain is etched into our collective memory, and your strength continues to inspire us.”
The keynote speaker, Member of Parliament Eleanore Bouw-Spies, served as Mayor during the 2017 disaster. With raw honesty, she reflected on the emotional toll of leading through such tragedy, from fainting in the JOC centre, to breaking the news of a death to a grieving family. She shared, for the first time, that only this year has she found the strength to begin counselling, a powerful reminder that healing takes time and vulnerability is a form of bravery.
“The commemoration was not just a ceremony, it was a promise. A promise to remember. A promise to honour. A promise to keep building a Knysna that is stronger, more united and ever more compassionate. We will never forget.”
Quote of the week
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” ~ John Quincy Adams
Fire and Rescue International is your magazine.
Read it, use it and share it!
Read the latest FRI magazine: https://www.frimedia.org/fri-vol-7-no-6.html
Read the latest Disaster Management Journal: https://www.frimedia.org/dmj-vol-6-no-1.html
FRI magazine archive: https://www.frimedia.org/fri-archives.html
DMJ magazine archive: https://www.frimedia.org/dmj-magazine.html
Enjoy the read!
Lee Raath-Brownie
Managing director
Cell: 082 371 0190
Contact us
Tel: 011 452 3135 or Email: [email protected]
Websites
www.fireandrescue.co
www.frimedia.org
www.facebook.com/FireandRescueInternational
www.twitter.com/FRI_magazine
http://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-raath-brownie-16668065/
