An emblematic mountain whose snow-capped peak is known throughout the world, Kilimanjaro was set ablaze on Friday evening. The fire broke out near the Karanga camp, a stopover for hikers and mountaineers located at around 4,000 meters above sea level on one of the busiest climbing routes leading to the “roof of Africa” (5,895 meters).
Flames ate up the mountain slopes for more than 24 hours before the blaze was ‘contained’ by Tanzanian firefighters. “We managed to bring the fire under control. To a large extent, it is already extinguished in most areas, although there are still fumaroles,” the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Eliamani Sedoyeka, told the channel on Sunday morning. TBC public.
Probable human cause
“We hope to have the fire completely under control by tonight,” he added, saying “most areas that were burning last night are under control.” The Kilimanjaro Region Prefect, Nurdin Babu, also assured the press that “everything is under control, even if the fire continues”: “We have managed to control the fire to a large extent”. If the origin of the fire has not yet been formally identified, Eliamani Sedoyeka estimated on Saturday evening that “it is possible that a climber or honey collectors caused the fire by negligence”.
The fire did not cause any casualties in this tourist hotspot in northeastern Tanzania, which is particularly popular with trekking and mountaineering enthusiasts. Several tens of thousands of people climb its slopes each year. A total of 500 people – firefighters, staff from the national parks authority (Tanapa), police officers as well as civilians (students, residents, employees of a tour operator) – mobilized to fight the fire, which had been blown by a strong wind.