After an incredible morning trekking through the forest in search of the lemurs, the words AFO AFO (FIRE, FIRE) interrupted our late breakfast. Mamy quickly translated for me and told me that a fire was burning out of control in the forest in the north of the park. We frantically grabbed our camera gear and followed a local community-led team of fire fighters in search of the heart of the fire.

After a hike of a few kilometres, the smell and signs of smoke were evident and as we got closer the crackling of a fierce fire was clearly audible. A chain of local community members formed a snaking line through the forest, leading us to where the fire was raging. Water was quickly being transferred in buckets to the front of the line where the water was thrown on the base of the fire. However, it appeared that despite the best efforts of the fire fighting team equipped with only the most rudimentary of fire fighting tools, the fire was continuing to spread.

In amongst the thick forest it was difficult to see the extent of the fire, so with the help of Travis I launched the drone in a small clearing. As soon as the drone broke clear of the treetops I could see the extent of the fire on my monitor. Fortunately there was little wind, so the fire was not spreading too quickly and the work of the fire fighters was in fact having an impact. After several more hours of hard work by the fire fighters, the fire had been contained and ash covered but happy we hiked back to our base.

While it was fantastic that the fire had been brought under control, it was clear that if it had not been for the climatic conditions and the fast work of the fire fighting team the fire would have swept through a large portion of the park, further reducing the habitat of the lemurs and other wildlife species. Preventing the starting of fires and stopping those that do start spreading was obviously key to protecting the lemurs and the park. To see what could be done, the next day we got up before first light and with the support of Durrell - a partner organisation working with Planet Madagascar to protect the park - we drove to where a team of local community members were cutting fire breaks across the great swathes of savannah, which surround the forest.

Share this Story