TIG Post

Tag: Mount Kilimanjaro

  • Another fire breaks out on Africa’s highest summit, Mount Kilimanjaro

    Another fire has broken out on Mount Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania, the highest mountain in Africa.

    The fire started on Sunday on the north-eastern flank of the mountain, Charles Ngendo, a spokesperson for the Tanzanian National Park Authority, told DPA on Monday.

    The cause of the fire remains unknown.

    A week ago, a fire had broken out on the mountain at an altitude of around 3,900 metres.

    According to the authorities, the first fire has yet to be extinguished.

    “The biggest problem is the strong winds blowing from different directions, making it impossible to contain the fire,” Ngendo said.

    The first fire had affected 2.5 square kilometres of the mountain, he said.

    A total of 600 people are working on the mountain to fight the flames, he said.

    At around 6,000 metres, Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, and a popular tourist destination. Every year, about 50,000 people reach its summit.

     

    Source: GNA/DPA

  • More groups tackle Kilimanjaro fire amid strong winds

    Tanzanian authorities say more than 400 porters and tour guides have joined groups battling a fire that broke out in Africa’s highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, which has been spreading due to strong winds.

    It comes as the fire reignited in areas that were previously under control.

    More than 500 officers from the defence and security forces alongside tourism stakeholders have been fighting the fire that started on Friday.

    The permanent secretary in charge of tourism, Prof Eliamani Sedoyeka, said the fire had reignited in three areas by early Tuesday and they had only managed to contain one of the areas by evening.

    Two years ago, a week-long inferno destroyed thousands of hectares of woodland on the slopes of the mountain.

    Mount Kilimanjaro, which is 5,895m (19,341 ft) high, is a popular tourist destination and tens of thousands of people climb it every year.

    Source: BBC

  • NASA data: Kilimanjaro fire is almost completely contained

    The data gathered by the US satellite agency, Nasa, appears to back up Tanzanian authorities’ claim that much of the fire on the slopes of Africa’s tallest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, has been put out.

    Nasa’s Fire Information for Resource Management System, which uses satellite data to detect thermal hot spots, showed a fire burning in just one place on Sunday.

    The system doesn’t indicate any active fire in the location on Monday – although it’s possible the latest data has not yet been uploaded.

    The most recent aerial satellite image of the fire – taken on Sunday – doesn’t give us a clear enough view of what’s happened because of cloud cover.

    However, a satellite image from Saturday showed a thick cloud of smoke rising, with the fire burning across a length of about 3 km (1.9 miles).

    The fire comes two years after a week-long inferno destroyed thousands of hectares of woodland on Mount Kilimanjaro’s slopes.

    Mount Kilimanjaro, which is 5,895m (19,341ft) high, is a popular tourist destination and tens of thousands of people climb it every year.