Together Against the Flames: An Incredible Team Effort
Living so close to nature here in Northern Kenya comes with a range of challenges – from droughts to flooding, and fires. The strength of this community is however unwavering, and everyone is dedicated to helping each other and our environment – whatever may come our way!
A frightening sight on Friday evening – as flames kept blazing through the night and moved across the valley floor.
When a ravaging blaze broke out in Namunyak on Friday, an incredible collaboration on the ground ensued. It included Namunyak’s Rangers and Grazing Team, who demonstrated the power of unity while facing environmental challenges, and worked tirelessly until the last embers were extinguished on Sunday. Providing much-needed support through the deployment of fire beaters, Mount Kenya Trust highlighted the importance of collective action in protecting our natural resources!
While a total of 6km² of valuable grassbank set aside for grazing was destroyed in the fire, we are so grateful that there was no loss of life, and no livestock or wildlife were affected by the flames. And with nature’s remarkable capacity to restore and renew, it will be beautiful to see the rains breathe new life back into this landscape – and allow new vegetation to grow!
The series of images and videos below tell the story as it unfolded…
DEVASTATION
A valuable grass bank that had been demarcated by the Grazing Team for the dry season – going up in flames.
UNWAVERING DEDICATION
On Saturday morning, Samburu community members did everything possible to stop the fire from spreading further and causing more damage – while fire-beating equipment from Mount Kenya Trust was underway.
SPLIT-SECOND TIMING!
As soon as the fire-beating equipment arrived, our teams were swiftly trained to use it – and taken to the field!
BRAVE SAMBURU FIREFIGHTERS
We are so proud of this weekend’s courageous and collective team effort – and in awe of how everyone worked together to extinguish the fire!
THE AFTERMATH
The fire was contained by Sunday afternoon and an estimated 6km² was burned. We are beyond grateful that no lives, livestock of wildlife were lost in the fire.
Did you know?
Some species rely on wildfires to propagate and are cracked open by the high temperatures associated with the flames. The natural pattern of recovery after a wildfire is called ecological succession – and it’s a process in which the landscape, plants, and wildlife move through various ecological stages to return to a state of relative stability. It’s a bit like hitting the reset button on the life cycle of the wilderness!
