Aberdare wildfire put out in combined efforts
KFS and KWS officers inspect a section of the Aberdare National Park that was razed by fire on January 14, 2017. The fire was contained on Saturday through combined efforts by KWS, KFS and the local community after destroying about 6000 hectares. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- More than 200 firefighters from the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and others from the ministry of Interior had been deployed to contain the inferno.
- The firefighters that included members of the Community Forest Association were positioned in every part affected by the fire.
A fire that destroyed over 6, 000 hectares of Aberdare National Park for two days has been contained.
According to Nyeri Kenya Forest Service and Zonal Manager Muchiri Mathinji, the fire was suppressed before it could reach the indigenous forest.
“We have managed to prevent the fire from getting to the main natural forest. Though much of the moorland grasses, shrubs and heath that were consumed can re-germinate very fast,” said Mr Mathinji.
He confirmed that the fire had been caused by illegal activities that had been carried out by the communities neighbouring the Park.
“People should not start any form of fires in the forest. We can tell from where the fire generated that it was human error,” he said.
He commended agencies for working tirelessly to extinguish the fire.
More than 200 firefighters from the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and others from the ministry of Interior had been deployed to contain the inferno.
The firefighters that included members of the Community Forest Association were positioned in every part affected by the fire.
They used rakes and spades to put out the inferno.
It took the agencies more than eight hours to contain the the fire. Short rainfall experienced in the area for a few minutes helped the situation.
The acting assistant director, Mountain Conservation Simon Gitau said that 99 per cent of all the fires that erupt from the forests are due to illegal activities in the forest.
The fire started a day after KFS issued a fire alert notice owing to the persistent hot and dry winds occasioned by the drought in the country.
He also called on every Kenyan to play an active role in protecting the forest especially in the wake of water scarcity.
“The forest are the water baskets for both recreation and urban centres in the country. We have to protect our heritage as a country,” he said.
Aberdare National Park and Mt Kenya are major water towers in Kenya.
Also, the public have been urged to remain vigilant and report possible forest fire threats and outbreaks to the KFS offices through the hotline number 020 250 2508.
The dry seasons of January to March and August to September are characterized by high temperatures, which make forests and other vegetation areas highly susceptible to fire outbreaks.
According to Mr Mathinji, two forest blocks have been given special attention and surveillance including Nanyuki, Gathiuru, Naromoru, Kabaru in the Mt Kenya block and South Laikipia and Bellevue in the Aberdare block.
