Namibia deployed hundreds of soldiers as part of an effort to contain wildfires that burned about a third of the territory of one of Africa’s largest game reserves.
The fire began in the southwest of Etosha National Park (ENP) on September 22, according to a statement from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and Tourism, released on Saturday.
At that time, an estimated 775,163 hectares (1.9 million acres) had been burned, representing 34% of its total area, and an additional 171,098 hectares (423,000 acres) of land outside the park was also affected, according to the ministry.
“The ecological damage within the ENP is extensive,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that the fire began “due to suspected coal production activities that come into contact with commercial farms.”
In another statement issued Sunday on Facebook, Namibian performer President Lucia Witbuy said 540 soldiers have been deployed to help fight the fire along with helicopters.
“Fires pose a major threat to biodiversity, wildlife and the livelihoods of affected communities,” he said, adding that an unknown number of animals have been killed but no human casualties have been reported.
“High winds and dry vegetation have contributed to the rapid spread of fires,” the authorities added, “We will continue to mobilise resources and strengthen our continued efforts to enable teams on the ground to extinguish the fire.”
Local Monday morning, Namibian Prime Minister Elijah Nugrale Manongo said in a post by X that the fires are still burning inside and outside the park, but they are all contained.
“When we have teamwork, there are no challenges that we cannot overcome,” Manongo said in another post.
According to Namibia’s Ministry of Tourism, Etosha National Park is a major tourist attraction that attracts around 200,000 visitors a year.
It is home to 114 mammals, including elephants, lions, giraffes and the endangered black rhinoceros species, and 340 bird species.
The park also features salt pans, covering 4,730 square kilometers (1,826 square miles).
According to NASA, the fire was caused by lightning strikes that were burning in the savanna and forest areas of the park 10 years before firefighters began to actively destroy wildfires.
Second, an increase in scientific evidence suggested that occasional burning is key to maintaining a healthy ecosystem in the park, leading park officials to implement a system of preventive burning.
It is designed to prevent catastrophic wildfires like those that occurred in 2011. This comes when dozens of animals were killed in a fire that burned a 370,000 hectares (940,000 acres) park.
