Namibia’s Etosha National Park, house for severely endangered black rhino, is surrounded by huge fire

Namibia has sent over 500 soldiers to help in fighting a huge forest fire which has burnt 30 percent of the country’s most famous national park.

The office of President Netumbo Nandi-Naditwah said on Sunday that an unknown number of wildlife was killed in the fire, which began last Monday and spread to the Vishal Etosha National Park in the north of Namibia.

The park is home to hundreds of species of wildlife, including severely endangered black rhinoceros. The President’s office said that the fire had also spread to villages on the outskirts of the park, but no human casualties have been reported.

It said that the cause of the fire was not yet certain.

Video on national broadcaster NBC Showed black trees and grass health, and deer to avoid fire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ideZcw6FS-yy

Authorities have sent helicopters and trucks with water tanks to fight the fire. According to the President’s office, he deployed 500 soldiers on Sunday to help in operation and joined the first contingent of 40 soldiers sent to the park on Saturday.

The statement said that about 30 percent grazing grounds were destroyed in the 22,200-class-kilometer park.

Atosha National Park is one of the largest in Africa and is famous for its salt pan that turns into a lake during the rainy season and attracts wildlife.

Namibia’s Environment Ministry said in a separate statement that the park had a widespread damage to the park and the fire had burnt vegetation of about 7,700 square kilometers. The ministry said that there is a suspicion that a charcoal production may have been started by the business business at the fire park border farm.

Namibia is a hot, dry country in southern Africa and the fire came in the middle of the most dry time of the year in Etosha.