About 5 hectares of Uplands forest in Lari sub county was on Tuesday night destroyed by fire.
According to the Kenya Forest Service, the section of the forest is located at Rukuma trading center behind the curio shops along the Nairobi Nakuru highway.
The KFS reported that, the frames of the fires were propelled by the wind to destroy the dry vegetation.
The community living near that forest from Rukuma and Escarpment villages, started screaming and they started ganging up to enter into the forest to put off the frames.
However, Kiambu County Forest Conservator (CFC) Benjamin Muindi said the KFS officers were assisted by the Fire fighters from Kiambu government and the communities living nearby to put off the fire.
Muindi said that the Uplands Forester Paul Nderitu and his rangers spent the whole night in the forests putting of the frames.
“No one went back home or in the station from Tuesday 8pm up to Wednesday 2pm. We had to work at a non stop speed” the CFC said.
The long dry period has left so many vegetation dry, easing the spread of the fire.
Muindi said the undergrowth dry vegetation such as grass and shrubs were destroyed as the frames of the fires were catching them easily.
Nderitu noted that the number of the residents added itself in on Wednesday who volunteered to help put off the fire.
A resident Solomon Wachira said the partnership between the KFS and the community helped as people were volunteering themselves.
“We came with water jericans, buckets and all sort of items that can carry water and put the fire off” Wachira said.
Escarpment senior chief Francis Karanja was overwhelmed by the community who were worried about losing the trees in that section to fire.
“We have been partnering with KFS and the community to plant trees. People felt it was not good to let their work get destroyed and they can assist to save it” the senior chief said.
However, Muindi said shrubs got destroyed but blue gum trees that were there were not tht much destroyed, as the fire was put out.
The KFS officers says that once rains starts, they will start planting seedlings in all forests in the county, adding that KFS, members of the Community Forest Association (CFAs) and individuals had planted seedbeds and the seedlings were ready for transplanting.
