Forest Fire (6916 ha) in South Africa 20 Jan 2023

Event summary

This forest fire is expected to have a low humanitarian impact based on the magnitude and the affected population and their vulnerability.

GDACS ID WF 1011669
Countries: South Africa
Start Date - Last detection*: 20 Jan 2023 - 28 Jan 2023
Duration (days): 8
People affected: 0 in the burned area
Burned area: 6916 ha
More Info: Global Wildfire Information System

*(Last detection of the thermal anomaly of the fire)

GDACS Score


Detailed event map. European Union, 2024. Map produced by EC-JRC.
The boundaries and the names shown on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the European Union.


Impact Timeline

IDAlert colorGDACS ScorePopulation AffectedBurned Area (ha)Last UpdateSource
1 0.5 0 5712 27 Jan 2023 04:00 GWIS
2 0.5 0 6857 28 Jan 2023 04:00 GWIS
3 0.5 0 6916 29 Jan 2023 04:00 GWIS

Fires Joined

This event includes other close identified fires:

Exposed population

The forest fire happened in South Africa , Province of Western Cape (population 3,417,675) . The nearest places are Prince Albert, Oudtshoorn, Hartenbos, and Mosselbaai.

Radius Population
10 km <1000 people
5 km <1000 people
2 km <1000 people
1 km <1000 people
Burned Area no people

Land Cover area Source
Settlement 152 m2 GHSL
Protected Area 6922 ha WDPA

Affected Provinces

Region Province Country Population
Western Cape South Africa 3.4 million people

Affected populated places

Name Region Province Country City class Population Distance
Prince Albert Western Cape South Africa City - 76 km
Oudtshoorn Western Cape South Africa City 76000 people 77 km
Hartenbos Western Cape South Africa City - 88 km
Mosselbaai Western Cape South Africa City - 93 km

see full list

Critical infrastructure

Airports, ports, nuclear plants and hydrodams at risk, if affected, are listed below.

Airports

Name IATA Code Elevation (m) Usage Runway type IFR Runway Length (ft) Distance
Oudtshoorn OUH 324 Civ. Paved No 5500 76 km
Mossel Bay MZY 152 0 89 km

Ports

Name LOCODE Country Distance
Mossel Bay ZAMZY South Africa 93 km

Dams

Reservoir Dam Name River Year Distance
Calitzdorp Nels 1981 35 km
Gamkapoort Gamka 1981 44 km
Korentepoort Korente 1983 45 km
Floriskaal Buffels 1981 53 km
Duiwenhoks Duiwenhoks 1979 55 km
Prinsrivier Prins 1981 59 km
Bellair Brak 1981 73 km
Hartebeeskuil Hartenbos 1981 77 km
Buffelsjags Buffeljagt 1983 88 km
Koos Raubenheimer Klein le Roux 1984 88 km

Nuclear plants

More information

For a full list of available products related to this event, please refer to the GDACS Resources page.