Destroyed by fire

We visited friends in St Francis Bay (about an hour's drive from Port Elizabeth) today, a beautiful holiday/residential area with luxury homes built on a network of canals. Last year a fire swept through a large part along the canals, and with the strong wind fanning the flames, 75 houses were destroyed within an hour. The houses destroyed all had thatched roofs - those with tiles were not affected.
Many people lost all their possessions.
Some homes are being rebuilt, others will be demolished and the land sold. Fortunately our friends were not affected but it was a frightening time.