Madagascar on Fire

Liam O’Shaughnessy (left side) and Max Fontaine (right side)

Fire in Ranomafana National Park

In early January 2025, shortly after arriving at Centre ValBio, Liam O’Shaughnessy was confronted with a devastating crisis—a forest fire that had ignited in late December began spreading at an alarming rate. What started as a single fire point had quickly escalated into over 20 individual fires spanning a 3-mile radius.

Drawing on his firefighting experience, Liam immediately sprang into action, heading to the front lines to assess the damage firsthand. The proactive efforts and expertise caught the attention of Madagascar’s Minister of Environment, Max Fontaine, who invited Liam to speak and join a newly formed firefighting committee.

Through the collaborative efforts of the committee and the implementation of strategic fire breaks, the blaze was significantly weakened, losing nearly 60% of its peak strength.