Kilimanjaro: Fire breaks out on Africa's tallest mountain

Moshi. A fire, the source of which is yet to be established, has broken out in Mount Kilimanjaro, near the Karanga Camp located 3,963 meters above sea level through the Mweka route and efforts to extinguish it are ongoing.

The fire broke out on Friday October 21, 2022 at night and could be seen from as far as Moshi town, where the Conservation Commissioner of the Tanzania Parks Agency (Tanapa), William Mwakilema, said that multi-discipline forces were heading there to put out the fire.

According to reports, the fire is burning in the Moorland region, whose plants catch fire and it is fierce and the Tanzania National Parks Agency (Tanapa) and Kilimanjaro Park (Kinapa) have already sent forces to deal with it.

Speaking on Friday night, the Conservation Commissioner for the North zone, Betrita James said that after receiving information about the fire, the management of Kinapa immediately began the work of gathering manpower and equipment.

In addition to the team, videos that have spread in various WhatsApp groups show some tour guides and porters trying to put out the fire using leaves.

One of the experienced tour guides on the route, Geness Shirima, said that as far as he was informed, the fire was near Karanga Camp.

"After you leave Mweka station, you go to Millennium or High Camp and then to Karanga, that is, it is in the same zone (belt). It is an area as high as about 4,000 meters above sea level,” he said.

He said the fire appears to be coming from the Mweka towards the Moorland belt which has some short bushes.

In October 2020, another fire broke out on Mt Kilimanjaro destroying 15 lodges for guests as well as solar power systems and sewage infrastructure.