About 320 firefighters have been working to extinguish a fire that has been raging since Friday on Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, Tanzanian officials said.
The fire broke out near Karanga camp at 3,963 meters above sea level on the Mweka route.
On social media, videos were posted of guides and tourists putting out the fire with branches, Tanzanian newspaper The Citizen wrote.
So far, no injuries have been reported in the fire, regional commissioner Noordeen Babu was quoted as saying by DPA news agency. The cause of the fire is currently unknown.
Sad news! The Kilimanjaro fire that started on Sunday at Mt.
Forest fires have increased in 2020.
We are so lost that we are not. of ecosystems & it takes years to restore them. Neglect #climate change Unclaimed land occurs. want #FaceTheClimateEmergency #ClimateAction pic.twitter.com/f6J068ntnl— Dorcas Wakio (@WakioDorcas) October 13, 2020
Smoke and strong winds hampered the work of fire crews at an altitude of about 3,900 meters.
The country’s National Parks Authority has pointed out that it is a heathland with flammable vegetation.
Another fire broke out in Kilimanjaro about two years ago. During that time, National Park Service agents and neighbors put out the fire in days.
Kilimanjaro is about 6,000 meters high and is one of Tanzania’s most important tourist destinations, with around 50,000 people climbing to its summit annually.
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