Fire destroys huge sections of Menengai forest

An eclipse-like shadow caused by a fierce fire on Sunday clouded Nakuru City and its environs as a more than five-hours-long inferno destroyed more than  70 hectares of vegetation at Menengai forest.

Nakuru County government chief officer for disaster management Anne Njenga confirmed the fire outbreak saying her department was coordinating fire fighting efforts jointly with officers from the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and the Kenya Prisons Service.

“Officers from the Nakuru firefighting department and KFS are fighting the fire to stop it from spreading further. The Nakuru fire brigade has been battling the fire for hours, but strong winds remain a challenge. We were tipped about the incident and informed the county fire brigade who responded swiftly and rushed to the scene," said Ms Njenga.

“The cause of the fire is yet to be established. It has been difficult to stop the flames because of the dry weather and the hills and valleys in the forest which slow movement,” she added.

She revealed that a helicopter could be dispatched to assist in the exercise.

The raging flames were fanned by wind, raising fears it could spread to the neighboring Milimani and London estates.

At the time of publication, residents of the nearby Milimani estate were in panic, fearing that the fire could spread to their homes.

“We fear the fire may quickly spread to our homes if not put out. We call upon the county and national government to join hands and contain the fire,” a resident, Jane Kariuki, said.

Destroyed vegetation

The fire which started around 1pm on Sunday consumed destroyed sections of the forest’s vegetation.

Kenya Forest Service rangers, fire fighters and members of the public were on Sunday evening still  trying to put out the fire.

However, according to some residents, the fire may have been caused by a carelessly tossed cigarette.

“The fire might have been caused by residents who graze their livestock in the forest during the prolonged dry spell," said one resident.

This is not the first time the expansive forest that borders Nakuru City is experiencing a fire outbreak.

In 2015, an inferno at the forest destroyed more than 300 acres of vegetation near the world renowned Menengai Crater.

In 2017, fierce fire destroyed hundreds of indigenous trees in more than 220 acres at the Menengai forest.

According to the KFS documentation, Kenya has two fire seasons which coincide with the two dry and windy months that precede the country's rain seasons of March-April and October-November.