Wildfires Ravage Kenyan Mountain Forest

More than 16,000 hectares of forest have been destroyed by wildfires in the Aberdare Mountain Range in central Kenya.

Report says the fires, first reported in forests of the Aberdare National Park two weeks ago, have persisted despite hundreds of firefighters being deployed to the region to try and contain them.

Two rangers from the Kenya Wildlife Service, KWS were killed when their vehicle rolled as they rushed to the scene on the second day.

Bakari Mungumi, from KWS’s Mountain Conservation, said an investigation into the cause of the fire was still ongoing.

 “Rising temperatures and dry matter are causing flare-ups on the moorlands, hence making it difficult to put out the fires,” Mr. Mungumi said.

Meanwhile, this is not the first fire in the region. In 2012, a fire destroyed more than 70,000 acres of the forest.

Aberdare is the third-highest mountain range in Kenya, reaching a summit of around 13,100ft.

BBC/Christopher Ojilere