Strong flames have broken out on Tanzania’s famous Mount Kilimanjaro, where locals and park rangers have joined firefighters to help bring the blaze under control.
The cause of the fire near the Karanga camp at an altitude of almost 4,000 meters above sea level is still unknown.
It broke out on Friday evening on the south side of the mountain, along one of the most popular climbing routes.
The video shows plumes of thick, dark smoke billowing on the horizon beyond the tent camp, while fierce red flames lick up the mountainside.
Abraham Moshi, who runs a local tour company, Exuberant Kilimanjaro Safaris, said he first saw the fire on Friday evening from his home in Moshi, a town south of the mountain.
“We were having a barbecue outside. We saw a big flame coming from the mountainside. We weren’t sure what it was at first,” he told Sky News.
“We started filming the video, but until Saturday no one knew what it was, [when] reported that there was a big fire.”
The fire is still burning, and some of his employees are helping officials battle the blaze, which he says is burning in nearby brush but not on nearby hiking trails or campsites, he added.
“It’s the dry season now, we’re still almost in the dry season. The rains are supposed to start now, in November, but it hasn’t rained yet. It is largely dry and windy — this may affect the fire,” he warned.
Photo: Jackson Mauki, Abundant Kilimanjaro Safaris
Photo: Jackson Mauki, Abundant Kilimanjaro Safaris
Mount Kilimanjaro, located in the northeast of the country, is the highest peak in Africa, rising to 5,895 meters above sea level.
Officials have not yet determined how the fire started. In October 2020, the fire raged over an area of about 37 square miles for more than a week.
https://news.sky.com/story/fire-raging-on-south-side-of-tanzanias-mount-kilimanjaro-12728106
