Visitors to Lake Nakuru in Kenya's Great Rift Valley expect to see pink clouds of flamingos rising into the air. This weekend all they saw was thick black clouds of smoke billowing across one of East Africa's most spectacular national parks, as wildfires cut a swath through its forests and plains.

By yesterday the worst of the fires had been beaten back, but it will take years for the park's acacia and euphorbia woodlands to grow again. “The worst is over because there's simply nothing left to burn,” said Jayne Nguatah, a manager at the Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge.

After two months of political and ethnic strife in Kenya, it was yet another blow to the region's embattled tourist industry, she said. “When people imagine the place to be burnt they will not come here. We didn't need this.” Lake Nakuru National Park is one of the must-see destinations for tourists on safari.

The park was declared a rhino sanctuary in 1983. A restocking programme has ensured that the highly endangered black rhino now number almost 60. White rhino were also brought in from South Africa.

Much of their preferred browsing territory was destroyed in the fire and rangers are hoping that the animals will be able to move to some of the park's other forested areas to the south of the lake, where leopards can also sometimes be spotted in trees.

The lake's alkaline waters are rich in blue-green algae, making it a favourite feeding ground for lesser flamingos. As many as 1.5million congregate around its salt-encrusted shore, giving the water a shimmering pink sheen. The spectacle makes it the country's busiest park.

Yesterday there was none of the usual tour vans, only rangers trying to extinguish the last few flames licking charred tree stumps. Smoke still spiralled into the air from 25 sq miles of blackened scrub, enveloping entire hillsides on the east side of the lake. Zebra stepped gingerly through smoking grassland and buffalo began returning slowly to their forest territory.

The alarm was raised on Thursday as a bush fire, started by burning litter on the neighbouring Soysambu estate, crossed into the park. The flames, fanned by a strong wind, spread across land parched at the end of the dry season. Rangers helped by soldiers, volunteers from Nakuru town and road grading equipment from a construction site, cleared firebreaks and brought the blaze under control within hours.

A second fire — started by someone burning branches just outside the park — erupted the next day. It closed in on two lodges in the park and sent animals fleeing. “The buffalo really panicked, going in this direction and that,” said Ms Nguatah. “There were rhino and impala as well, all trying to get out of the way.”

The fire has destroyed much of the forest habitat preferred by the black rhino. Charles Muthui, the park's senior warden, said that there was still a risk of embers reigniting fires, particularly as buffalo dung could continue burning for days. “At least last night we all had a good sleep. Now we have men there with a water bowser putting out the last stumps that are burning,” he said. His men will stay on watch until the arrival of rains, due next month.

Mr Muthui said there were no reports of animals being killed and he was optimistic that parts of the park would recover rapidly. “The pasture may sprout very fast once the long rains appear. Within a month the bushes will be growing again,” he said. “But the trees they will take much longer - years, probably.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article3427610.ece