{"id":295343,"date":"2026-01-09T16:30:28","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T14:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/?p=295343"},"modified":"2026-01-09T16:38:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T14:38:19","slug":"water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\/","title":{"rendered":"Water bomber deployed as fires continue across Kouga region"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>KOUGA <\/strong>&#8211; A 7 000-litre water tanker has arrived in Jeffreys Bay to support firefighting and evacuation efforts as raging and <a href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/uncontrolled-fires-force-evacuations-and-road-closures-across-kouga\/?fbclid=IwY2xjawPNr19leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe3nMSUljSjunF2uS1Kt2Ze4W97QnoL1wMYe-B19_uvWe5E5fX-6cOLaT2xGA_aem_WSzw5CyRD3NIpv7D5DkqEQ\">largely uncontrollable wildfires<\/a> continue to affect parts of the Kouga region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gift of the Givers confirmed that its teams are on the ground in Jeffreys Bay and Humansdorp, providing critical relief and assistance to communities impacted by the fires. The ongoing wildfires have resulted in several national and local road closures, while emergency services across the Eastern Cape remain on high alert as fire conditions persist in multiple areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In St Francis Bay, a 2 000-litre water bomber helicopter from Mossel Bay has been deployed to assist Kouga Municipality\u2019s urgent fire response. Gift of the Givers teams are stationed at the St Francis Bay airfield to supply water to the aircraft. A water tanker from Adelaide is positioned at the airfield, supported by two additional tankers sourcing water nearby to speed up helicopter turnaround times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"473\" data-attachment-id=\"295345\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\/611630081_1316148823889817_5191139810167553864_n\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/611630081_1316148823889817_5191139810167553864_n.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1280,591\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"611630081_1316148823889817_5191139810167553864_n\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Gift of the Givers are onsite at St Francis Bay airfield to fill a 2000 litres water bomber helicopter from Mossel Bay.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/611630081_1316148823889817_5191139810167553864_n-1024x473.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/611630081_1316148823889817_5191139810167553864_n-1024x473.jpg\" alt=\"Gift of the Givers are onsite at St Francis Bay airfield to fill a 2000 litres water bomber helicopter from Mossel Bay.\" class=\"wp-image-295345\" srcset=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/611630081_1316148823889817_5191139810167553864_n-1024x473.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/611630081_1316148823889817_5191139810167553864_n-300x139.jpg 300w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/611630081_1316148823889817_5191139810167553864_n-768x355.jpg 768w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/611630081_1316148823889817_5191139810167553864_n.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gift of the Givers are onsite at St Francis Bay airfield to fill a 2000 litres water bomber helicopter from Mossel Bay.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Gift of the Givers, the coordinated aerial and ground operation is aimed at containing flare-ups, particularly in bushy areas, allowing firefighters to operate more safely and enabling Eskom technicians to begin restoring electricity to damaged substations and dams. The restoration of power is expected to allow water supply to resume to affected areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Founder and chair of Gift of the Givers, Doctor Imtiaz Sooliman, said the organisation is working closely with local authorities to strengthen firefighting capacity and support evacuation and relief efforts as conditions remain volatile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Emergency services continue to monitor the situation, with firefighting operations ongoing across the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>ALSO READ:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/gift-of-the-givers-deploy-emergency-team-as-multiple-fires-rage-across-kouga-district\/?fbclid=IwY2xjawPN72pleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe9IDUG5bc-vsfV0kr04riN3kOv4xGeS5LOot-UppnEjTgM28HmPj3CzGoJSw_aem_-knzwpQZedUM6509X918cQ\">Gift of the Givers deploy emergency team as multiple fires rage across Kouga District<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gift of the Givers has deployed water tankers and a water bomber to support firefighting efforts as raging wildfires continue across Kouga, with emergency services on high alert.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":295344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"83","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"30","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"Water bomber deployed as fires continue across Kouga region","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"A water bomber deployed in Kouga helps tackle uncontrollable wildfires in Jeffreys Bay and St Francis Bay. Learn more.","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"2","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"1","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[7903,7874,91],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-295343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-community-highlights","tag-local-news","tag-top"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.8 (Yoast SEO v27.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Water bomber deployed in Kouga for emergency relief | Kouga Express<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how the water bomber deployed in Kouga is playing a crucial role in combating uncontrollable wildfires affecting communities.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Water bomber deployed as fires continue across Kouga region\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A water bomber deployed in Kouga helps tackle uncontrollable wildfires in Jeffreys Bay and St Francis Bay. Learn more.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-09T14:30:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-09T14:38:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/612938768_1316148813889818_7350925974490151000_n.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"591\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Water bomber deployed as fires continue across Kouga region\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d1ca9a7485fc5ec64ff4daf5b9e211aa\"},\"headline\":\"Water bomber deployed as fires continue across Kouga region\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-09T14:30:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-09T14:38:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":304,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/612938768_1316148813889818_7350925974490151000_n.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Community Highlights\",\"Local News\",\"Top\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2026\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\\\/\",\"name\":\"Water bomber deployed in Kouga for emergency relief | Kouga Express\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/612938768_1316148813889818_7350925974490151000_n.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-09T14:30:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-09T14:38:19+00:00\",\"description\":\"Learn how the water bomber deployed in Kouga is playing a crucial role in combating uncontrollable wildfires affecting communities.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/612938768_1316148813889818_7350925974490151000_n.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/612938768_1316148813889818_7350925974490151000_n.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":591,\"caption\":\"Gift of the Givers are onsite at St Francis Bay airfield to fill a 2000 litres water bomber helicopter from Mossel Bay.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Water bomber deployed as fires continue across Kouga region\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Kouga Express\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PEExpress1\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/express_newspapers\\\/\"],\"description\":\"Kouga Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kouga area since 2004. Established with the goal of keeping the Kouga and Koukamma communities informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 20,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door every week. Kouga Express\u2019 distribution area includes Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, St. Francis Bay, Cape St. Francis, Aston Bay, Patensie, Hankey, Storms River, Tsitsikamma, Misgund, Joubertina, Krakeelrivier, Louterwater, Kareedouw, and Uniondale.\",\"email\":\"kougaexpress@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"042-992 5650\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d1ca9a7485fc5ec64ff4daf5b9e211aa\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kouga Express\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/author\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Water bomber deployed in Kouga for emergency relief | Kouga Express","description":"Learn how the water bomber deployed in Kouga is playing a crucial role in combating uncontrollable wildfires affecting communities.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Water bomber deployed as fires continue across Kouga region","og_description":"A water bomber deployed in Kouga helps tackle uncontrollable wildfires in Jeffreys Bay and St Francis Bay. Learn more.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\/","og_site_name":"Kouga Express","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","article_published_time":"2026-01-09T14:30:28+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-09T14:38:19+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":591,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/612938768_1316148813889818_7350925974490151000_n.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Kouga Express","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Water bomber deployed as fires continue across Kouga region","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kouga Express","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\/"},"author":{"name":"Kouga Express","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/d1ca9a7485fc5ec64ff4daf5b9e211aa"},"headline":"Water bomber deployed as fires continue across Kouga region","datePublished":"2026-01-09T14:30:28+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-09T14:38:19+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\/"},"wordCount":304,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/612938768_1316148813889818_7350925974490151000_n.jpg","keywords":["Community Highlights","Local News","Top"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\/","name":"Water bomber deployed in Kouga for emergency relief | Kouga Express","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/612938768_1316148813889818_7350925974490151000_n.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-09T14:30:28+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-09T14:38:19+00:00","description":"Learn how the water bomber deployed in Kouga is playing a crucial role in combating uncontrollable wildfires affecting communities.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/612938768_1316148813889818_7350925974490151000_n.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/612938768_1316148813889818_7350925974490151000_n.jpg","width":1280,"height":591,"caption":"Gift of the Givers are onsite at St Francis Bay airfield to fill a 2000 litres water bomber helicopter from Mossel Bay."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/water-bomber-deployed-as-fires-continue-across-kouga-region\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Water bomber deployed as fires continue across Kouga region"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/","name":"Kouga Express","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization","name":"Kouga Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Kouga Express"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/express_newspapers\/"],"description":"Kouga Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kouga area since 2004. Established with the goal of keeping the Kouga and Koukamma communities informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 20,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door every week. Kouga Express\u2019 distribution area includes Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, St. Francis Bay, Cape St. Francis, Aston Bay, Patensie, Hankey, Storms River, Tsitsikamma, Misgund, Joubertina, Krakeelrivier, Louterwater, Kareedouw, and Uniondale.","email":"kougaexpress@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"042-992 5650","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/d1ca9a7485fc5ec64ff4daf5b9e211aa","name":"Kouga Express","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Kouga Express"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/author\/kougaexpress\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/612938768_1316148813889818_7350925974490151000_n.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":295340,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/gift-of-the-givers-deploy-emergency-team-as-multiple-fires-rage-across-kouga-district\/","url_meta":{"origin":295343,"position":0},"title":"Gift of the Givers deploy emergency team as multiple fires rage across Kouga District","author":"Kouga Express","date":"9 January 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Gift of the Givers teams have deployed to tackle multiple severe fires across Kouga Municipal District as residents evacuate and critical water infrastructure fails completely.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Gift of the Givers join the fire extinguishing efforts in Kouga.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/firefighter-2679283_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/firefighter-2679283_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/firefighter-2679283_1920.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/firefighter-2679283_1920.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/firefighter-2679283_1920.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/firefighter-2679283_1920.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Kouga Express","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295343","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=295343"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295343\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/295344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=295343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=295343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=295343"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=295343"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=295343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}