The Mount Kenya Trust is appealing to both foreign and local donors for financial help to put off a huge fire in the mountain, that started about five days ago and has been spreading fast.

According to the Mount Kenya Trust, they are struggling to control the fire due to high winds, which keep changing directions and lack of adequate resources.

“Throughout the past five days, winds and extremely dry conditions have burnt hectares of moorlands and the fire is dangerously close to the forest. In some areas, the forest is starting to catch – along with the bamboo regions. We are struggling to regain control. We are working with the Kenyan government and local partners around the clock, but resources and funding for the scale of the problem are scarce.”

The Mount Kenya Trust says the funding is for helicopters hours – dropping people and dousing the area with water and planes for surveillance high up on the mountain.

“We need urgent financial support to cover the cost of fuel, rations and equipment. An hour running a helicopter costs $2000 and already our partners have given so much,”.

On Wednesday, the trust had announced that 80,000 hectares 0f Mt Kenya moorland had already been destroyed by the wildfire.

Mt Kenya,  the second highest peak in Africa, sits on the Equator at 5,199 meters (17,057′) and is one of the major tourist attractions in the country.