Kilimanjaro is on fire — It's burning at almost 4,000 meters
Created: 10/22/2022, 7:09 p.m
By: Victoria Krumbeck
Kilimanjaro burns at an altitude of almost 4000 meters.
© Screenshot/Twitter/@Benji_Fernandes
Africa's highest mountain is on fire.
At almost 4,000 meters, the extinguishing work is difficult.
The flames were sighted near a camp.
Munich/Dar es Salaam – Mount Kilimanjaro is on fire.
At around 5,895 meters, it is the highest mountain in Africa and is located in East African Tanzania.
Parts of the country have been on fire there since Friday.
Several thousand people climb the summit every year.
Video footage on Twitter shows the fire raging not far from a camp.
Hundreds of firefighters are trying to contain the fire.
Kilimanjaro is on fire — severe fire at almost 4,000 meters
The flames are said to be raging near the Karanga camp at an altitude of about 3,900 meters.
After the fire became known, emergency services immediately began to prepare for the extinguishing work, as the nature conservation officer for the north zone, Betrita James, announced on Friday evening (local time).
About 320 firefighters have been deployed since the outbreak.
The operation is made even more difficult by dense clouds of smoke and winds.
The fire can spread well because easily combustible plants grow at this height, as the Tanzanian park authority announced on Saturday.
Among other things, a bog area is said to be on fire.
Videos on social media show the extent of the fire.
Serious fire on Kilimanjaro — Fire raged two years ago
No one was injured in the fire, as Nurdin Babu from the responsible regional government told the German Press Agency on Saturday.
The cause of the outbreak of the fire is still unclear.
A tour guide from the Mweka route, where the fire broke out, confirmed the fire to
The Citizen
online portal .
Accordingly, the fire spread in the direction of the moorland belt.
Some tour guides are said to have tried to extinguish the fire using leaves.
Kilimanjaro is a popular travel destination.
The mountain can be climbed in a multi-day tour.
About 50,000 people make their way to the summit every year.
Already in 2020 a fire raged on Kilimanjaro.
At that time, 50 square kilometers of the forest burned.
The residents and employees of the Tanzanian park authority managed to extinguish the fire after a few days.
It remains to be seen when the fire on the mountain can be extinguished this time.
(vk/dpa)