Eight people, including a baby and two toddlers died in the blazes sweeping through areas of Wilderness around George.
Emergency services reported the toll rose from four to seven on Monday night. It was initially reported that four people died in the wildfires.
All seven deaths have been in the Karatara area.
“We are trying to maintain the raging fires at this stage with the deployment and the fire brigades from various municipalities‚” said police spokesperson Captain Malcolm Poje.
Western Cape local government spokesperson James-Brent Styan said: “We are doing what we can. It’s an ongoing struggle and it remains critical at this stage.”
Earlier on Monday Styan said the fire was “serious” and three areas were evacuated as a precaution.
By Monday evening‚ at least 200 people had been evacuated in the nearby Knysna area and are being housed in the Karatara Community Hall.
“The problem is the interface between the town and the forest where this fire is coming from. It is coming down from the mountain‚ down the Outeniqua Pass‚” Styan said.
The Western Cape Disaster Management Centre‚ Working on Fire and two municipalities were battling the raging blazes in the province.
The Outeniqua Pass remained closed on Monday evening.
Fire from the Makhanda municipal tip also threatened the city, with club members of the the popular Grahamstown Riding Club racing out to prevent the flames from its toxic neighbour spreading to the club, with its stables, clubhouse and other infrastructure.
“The wind changed. We are OK for now, but there is a gale heading straight for us tomorrow,” said one club member.
By afternoon, the George municipality issued an alert to visitors and tourists to delay their visit.
The latest fire is currently in the Outeniqua Pass area – near the Witfontein Nature Reserve – near the small town of Herold on the Montagu Pass, halfway between George and Oudtshoorn.
The fire started on Wednesday and has been burning out of control, despite extensive efforts over the weekend to contain the blaze.
By Monday, parts of the fire in the George area had been contained while some parts were still of control.
Several firebreaks had been implemented in an attempt to stop the fire from spreading into the urban area.
At 8am, officials confirmed that the Western Cape disaster management centre had been alerted and was monitoring the fires as well as a Garden Route joint operations centre that has been established.
By Monday afternoon, additional resources had been deployed bolstering the number of firefighters to 300, with helicopters and planes as aerial support.
Working on Fire’s Lauren Howard said the recent influx of fires over the past week had seen fire-fighting teams brought in from the Free State and Eastern Cape to assist.
“At this stage, the George area is engulfed with smoke and ash leaving a fire-fighting ground crew busy suppressing and mopping up burnt areas, while aerial support is on standby until the conditions become favourable to fly in.”
Western Cape local government, environmental affairs & development planning MEC Anton Bredell said a backburn operation was implemented in George from the railway line, up the mountain, towards the fire line.
“Due to prevailing wind, parts of George are currently enveloped by smoke and ash from fire on the mountain. There’s no current threat to people and infrastructure.
“The Outeniqua Pass has been closed to motorists. Please use Robinson Pass as an alternative,” he said.
Another fire, which is believed to have started over the weekend, was burning in the mountains in the Karatara area – just outside Knysna – but by Monday morning was deemed under control.
Tourists were also urged to delay their trip.
Fancourt marketing manager Michelle van der Westhuizen said staff living in the evacuation affected areas were sent home to ensure the safety of their families.
Working on Fire pilot Nico Heyns, 65, was killed in a helicopter crash about 40km from Riversdale last week.
On Monday, MTO area manager Thinus Kok estimated that about 600km² of vegetation had been damaged...