Staff Reporter
Preliminary assessments indicate that approximately 2,587 square kilometres of land have been affected by the recent wildfires in Etosha National Park, which broke out last week.
This was announced by the Ministry of Environment, which revealed that the wildfires that broke out last week have not yet been fully extinguished.
Photos: Ministry of Environment.
This comes after wildfires broke out in the Halali, Kamaseb and Tsam areas within Etosha National Park last Wednesday. By Monday, the ministry had announced that three of the fires had been successfully extinguished, while one remained active. However, the ministry has since disclosed that the fires have flared up again.
“Ministry staff, NDF and community members continue to battle wildfire flare-ups in Etosha National Park. Strong winds caused the wildfires put under control on Monday morning to flare up, spreading around the Halali area towards the south-eastern boundary of the park,” the ministry added.
Etosha Deputy Director Naambo Iipinge says the active fires remain relatively small and manageable, but still pose a risk to the park and surrounding areas due to the unpredictable wind speeds.
The Ministry of Environment said it would provide a full assessment indicating how much land has been destroyed once all the wildfires have been extinguished in the area, as well as the impact on wildlife.
