Status: 10/24/2022 2:47 p.m
A major fire broke out on Mount Kilimanjaro two days ago. The Tanzanian fire brigade now has the flames largely under control, as the responsible minister announced.
The fire brigade assumes that the fire in the popular tourist destination will soon be completely extinguished. That’s what Pindi Chana, the minister for natural resources and tourism, said on Sunday evening. According to the authorities, there were no victims. The cause of the fire is still unclear. Authorities suspect that people may have lighted the fire carelessly.
At 5895 meters, Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and very popular with hikers and mountaineers. The fire broke out on Friday evening on the southern slope, near the Karanga camp. The camp is at 4000 meters and on a popular route. According to the authorities, tourists were not endangered.
Great willingness to help
Images of huge flames circulated on social media on Saturday. Thick smoke could be seen over the area. The willingness to help was great, as the authorities announced: around 500 firefighters, police officers, residents, students and officials fought the fire. As a result, they prevented the fire from spreading to the forest below the area.
According to the World Meteorological Organization, climate change is clearly visible on Klimanjaro, the “roof of Africa”. The plants are suffering from the ongoing drought. The area covered by glaciers has shrunk by 85 percent within a century. In 1912 it was 11.4 square kilometers, in 2011 it was 1.76 square kilometers. The organization estimates that the snow could be gone by 2040.