General

Africa’s tallest mountain, Kilimanjaro, on fire

Published

October 12, 2020

Members of the Tanzania National Parks Authority (Tanapa) and local people have been struggling to put out the blaze which began on Sunday.

Their efforts have been hampered by the altitude as well as strong winds and dry weather which have caused the fire to spread fast.

According to BBC, It is not clear how the fire started.

Tanapa shared a blurred image on Twitter of the fire:

“The fire is still going on and firefighters from Tanapa, other government institutions and locals are continuing with the efforts to contain it,” Pascal Shelutete, an official from Tanapa, told news agency Reuters.

The parks authority said in a statement that it had taken “every step to make sure that, the fire will not affect the lives of tourists, their equipment, porters and tour guides”.

Mount Kilimanjaro, which is 5,895m (19,341 feet) high is a popular tourist destination and tens of thousands of people climb it every year.

See Tweet below;

Moto umezuka Mlima Kilimanjaro leo mchana na jitihada za kuuzima bado zinaendelea. Taarifa zaidi zitafuatia. #TANAPANEWS BY @PASCALSHELUTETE pic.twitter.com/Jcfj6QlCf8

— Tanzania National Parks (@tzparks) October 11, 2020