Wildfires are currently affecting Aberdare and Mount Kenya forests, prompting action from KWS and KFS. The fires, driven by hot weather, have led to multiple containment efforts, with ongoing assessments of damage. Specific areas, like Embaringo in Aberdare and Burguret in Mount Kenya, have been particularly impacted, raising alarm about environmental consequences.
Wildfires have erupted in the Aberdare and Mount Kenya forests, prompting response teams from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) to act swiftly. KWS’s Senior Assistant Director, Ms. Lucy Mwati, reported an active fire in the Embaringo section of Aberdare Forest, which began on Wednesday morning. This event is part of a troubling trend, with multiple fires reported in recent weeks, attributed to ongoing dry weather conditions.
“We have been experiencing fires at the Aberdares since last week. Every time we contain one, another breaks out in a different area due to the hot weather,” stated Ms. Mwati. While fires in Gatare, Haggenia, and Wanjohi areas have been extinguished, KWS has not yet assessed the total damage caused by these incidents.
In the Mount Kenya region, Susie Weeks, Executive Director of the Mount Kenya Trust Foundation, mentioned ongoing containment efforts in the Burguret area where a fire that started on Monday has spread. One section has been successfully managed, but challenges remain as teams work to suppress additional active areas. The escalating incidents of wildfires throughout central Kenya are raising significant environmental concerns as local ecosystems are threatened by the prolonged dry weather.
The recent outbreak of wildfires in the Aberdare and Mount Kenya forests has sparked urgent responses from wildlife and forestry services. With ongoing containment efforts due to persistent dry conditions, the situation highlights the dangers posed to the region’s ecosystems. Further assessments will clarify the extent of the ecological damage caused by these blazes.
Original Source: ntvkenya.co.ke
