Animals stampede down Mount Kenya to find safety from wild fires

British troops are among those helping in the fight to put out several blazes on Mount Kenya.

Flames have already consumed hundreds of acres of forest, said Paul Udoto, a spokesman for the Kenya Wildlife Service. The fire has covered the mountain in a haze of smoke.

Tourists staying in mountain lodges are safe, Mr Udoto said, but elephants are among the many animals fleeing.

“The elephants fled the area but they are still within the protected areas of the mountain,” he added.

Firefighters said they have not come across any animal hurt or killed by the fire but concerns have been raised that animals will flee into farmland lower down, leading to possible human-wildlife conflict.

The fire is also burning forest that serves as a water catchment, potentially affecting the region’s water supply and hydroelectric dams.

Mount Kenya is the second-highest peak in Africa, at 5,199 metres (17,057ft).

“There’s fires all over the place,” said Iain Douglas-Hamilton, founder of the group Save the Elephants. “It’s because of the dryness. But I bet people are setting the fires ... accidental but human- generated.”

Susie Weeks, the executive officer of the Mount Kenya Trust, said at least three separate fires were burning but the British military and the Kenya Wildlife Service were co-ordinating “beautifully”.

Captain Maz Kingston, a spokeswoman for the British Army Training Unit Kenya, said they had helped carry out an aerial assessment and it is providing command and control for the firefighting response.