Kilimanjaro is still on fire
The top of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest point in Africa, is still on fire. How the wildfire started at an altitude of almost 6,000 meters is still unclear.
According to the Tanzanian newspaper ‘The Citizen’, the flames can be seen tens of kilometers from the mountain. Tanzania National Parks writes on Twitter that the fire started on Sunday afternoon. According to ‘The Citizen’, this happened at an altitude of 2,700 meters at a resting place on one of the climbing routes. The fierce wind quickly spread the flames.
Several firefighters and volunteers from surrounding villages tried to extinguish the fire yesterday and ensure that nature was not further damaged.
The height makes it difficult to put out the fire, according to ‘The Citizen’, even though 600 firefighters have been deployed. The wind has died down in the meantime. According to the Tanzania National Park Service (TANAPA), the firefighting works are still ongoing, the fire is now “almost quenched”.
Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and is located at 5,895 meters above sea level. It is also the highest freestanding mountain in the world and a popular destination for climbers and tourists.
On average, around 50,000 people per year climb Kilimanjaro. According to the government, the fire will have no impact on tourism.
The mountain contains three volcanoes, two extinct and one dormant. No deaths or injuries have been reported so far. There is also no damage to private property.
