Fire as an agent of change: the social, economic and environmental impacts of the Knysna fires.
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Date
2019
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Abstract
The world has seen an increase in natural hazards in recent years and these hazards are showing
their impacts in Africa as well. Climate change has been regarded as a catalyst to some of these
disasters as they are now frequent and disastrous. This study uses the Knysna fire to study the
social, economic, and environmental impacts of an environmental risk event in coastal towns.
Fires such as the one that occurred in Knysna are not typical and occur in longer disaster risk
cycles. Traditionally, social scientists have focused on the economic impacts of fire, especially
financial burdens that come with them. However, interesting questions emerge when the focus
includes the social and environmental impacts rather than just the economic impacts. Do people
have an understanding of natural disasters? Is there any chance of livelihoods before and after
the fire? Are people resilient to the impact of large fires? To explore these questions, this
dissertation uses the disastrous 2017 Knysna fires as a case study.
A sample of twenty participants was selected using purposive sampling. Interviews and
observations were used as a tool to collect data, which was analysed using content analysis.
The primary source of data was obtained from the residents of Knysna, including both informal
residents and middle and high-income residents, the insurance sector, municipality officials,
local businesses, and environmental consultants. Findings show that most people in Knysna
have an understanding of what natural hazards are. Fire was identified as the most common
natural hazard in Knysna. Also, the findings show that the informal settlement residents were
the most vulnerable, but that there were also middle and high-income residents and some local
businesses that were vulnerable to the fire. The social, economic and environmental impacts of
the fire were largely negative but there were positive outcomes in response to the disaster. The
study reveals that the municipality lacked the capacity to deal with the fire disaster at the time
of the event. The community of Knysna is resilient and has managed to rebuild itself. Although
the fire resulted in significant impacts, particularly for those who lost their homes and
properties in the fire, with informal settlers being the least resilient as they are more vulnerable
due to the poverty trap.
Description
Masters. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.