Fire Breaks Out At Nairobi National Park

A section of the Nairobi National Park is currently on fire.

The fire was reported to have started in the evening hours of Friday, February 28. Videos and images seen by Viral Tea revealed that it could be spotted in areas that include Mlolongo and Syokimau.

The footage showed black smoke in the evening hours and a huge blaze of red and yellow flames into the night, with the fire raging on by the time of going to press.

The extent of the fire within the park and how far it has spread remains uncertain. Unconfirmed reports suggest that the blaze started as a small bushfire but rapidly expanded.

Screengrab of a fire outbreak at Nairobi National Park. /X.MSMATEI

The fire reportedly ignited near the Standard Gauge Railway line and is rapidly spreading. Officials have not yet released a statement on the incident.

However, a group known as 'Friends of the Nairobi National Park' claims that Kenya Wildlife Service firefighters are already on-site battling the blaze.

On Thursday, February 27, the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) banned the burning of vegetation near or within forest reserves in response to the rising cases of forest fires across the country.

In a statement, KFS announced that anyone planning to burn vegetation near forests must submit a written notice to either KFS or the police at least two days in advance for approval.

"Since January 2025, significant fires have been reported in Isiolo, Garissa, and coastal ecosystems. Notably, there has been an exponential increase in forest fire incidents over the past week," the statement read.

"KFS is actively collaborating with the Community Forest Association, the public, the Kenya Wildlife Service, national and county government agencies, other government agencies, and conservation partners in the ongoing fire suppression efforts."

So far this year, the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has recorded over 180 fire incidents nationwide, leading to the destruction of 1,357.97 hectares of vegetation within gazetted forests in the Mau, North Rift, Coast, Central Highlands, and Eastern Conservancies.

KFS issued its directives after fires erupted in the Aberdare and Mt. Kenya forests, damaging several sections of the woodlands in the Embaringo section of the Aberdare Forest.

Meanwhile, this fire outbreak comes a week after a fire torched a section of grassland at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, though it did not affect normal operations at the airport.