Part 1 of 3: The Great Fire of Hermanus

The year 1958 was famous for the worst fires the town had ever experienced. The most destructive of several fires that year was named “The Great Fire of Hermanus” in the local media, which occurred almost exactly 60 years ago, on 29 July 1958. The events were graphically described in the local newspaper at the time, Hermanus News, and later in Arderne Tredgold’s book Village of the Sea: The Story of Hermanus. This account draws on detail from both sources.

The Great Fire started in the home of the Henn family on the corner of Lord Roberts Road and Moffat Street, Eastcliff, at 16:35. With a northwest gale behind it, it destroyed 23 houses, most in Luyt Street. It is believed that the original spark that set the thatch alight came from an electrical fault in the roof. Fire brigades from Parow and Worcester helped, but by the time they reached Hermanus the blaze had spread to Luyt and Musson streets, and their role was restricted to dousing the roofs of houses not yet alight, to keep the fire from spreading further. Of the 23 houses destroyed, one was on the other side of Main Road. It is reported that the flames from this house (which belonged to a Mrs Maynard) could be seen 30 kilometres out to sea. The damage caused by the fire was estimated at £250 000, the equivalent of R800 million today.

Suddenly about 70 residents no longer had homes, but the community rallied around and accommodation was provided to all. Several holiday homeowners, including Anton Rupert, gave written permission for the use of their homes — in fact, the Henn family (in whose house the fire had started) stayed in the Rupert house until the holiday season in December. Ironically, the concern and willingness to help felt by residents resulted in a problem in controlling the blaze. The fire engines could not get past the crowd in the streets to reach the fire. Wellintentioned people tried to save household items, but succeeded only in obstructing firefighters, and there were suggestions of looting in the confusion. Tredgold records: “One well-dressed woman was seen handing out clothing through a window to a friend outside.” Sightseers flocked to Hermanus from as far away as Cape Town and the reporter for the newspaper commented: “Cafes, hotels and garages did quite good business during the weekend [after the fire] catering for the visitors.” In the same year, another fire was experienced in a single house at 64 Mitchell Street. This fire threatened to spread to the house next door, but two boys – Edwin Erwee and Arthur Blood – spontaneously climbed onto the roof of the house (which was unoccupied) with a garden hose and put out many small fires there as soon as they started. After seven hours the house was saved. To bring the year to an end there was a fire that destroyed six houses in Armagh Road in Westcliff.

Dr Robin Lee