MARIENTAL – A fire that broke out at Braunfels, about 10 kilometres outside Khorixas, has destroyed close to 20 hectares of land after a farmer allegedly ignited it while attempting to chase away elephants on Thursday.

Andrew Miles, a forestry technician in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), told Nampa on Friday that the fire is out of control and has spread into the Sorri-Sorris Conservancy due to strong winds.

“The fire initially started yesterday when a farmer wanted to fend off some elephants. It has since gotten out of hand. We will have to work overnight to contain it,” he said.

Miles said the defence ministry has deployed personnel for assistance, who travelled from Otjiwarongo to join the firefighting efforts. 

The Khorixas Town Council has provided pressured water trucks and local volunteers using fire beaters.

He expressed concern over the destruction of grazing land, saying: “The environment has been destroyed – grazing land has been destroyed. 

We don’t know when we will receive good rains again”. 

Miles urged residents of Khorixas and the surrounding areas to join in extinguishing the fire. 

He cautioned residents to refrain from and report such incidents, as fires destroy valuable land. -Nampa