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Tens of thousands of mountaineers make the pilgrimage to the 5,895-meter-high summit in Tanzania each year. Now the wasteland and heather are burning halfway. 600 firefighters fight the flames.
Clouds of smoke from the fire on the highest mountain in Africa are visible from afar.
Photo: Thomas Becker (Keystone / DPA)
The fight against the great fire on the highest mountain in Africa continues: up to 600 firefighters try to extinguish the flames at 2,700 meters on the southern flank of Kilimanjaro, according to the newspaper “The Citizen” on Tuesday. Due to the strong winds, the fire destroyed a large area of heather and moorland. According to the national park administration, the fire broke out Sunday night. The cause is still unknown.
Eyewitnesses reported in recent days that the wall of smoke and fire, which can be seen from afar, was expanding to the east. “Today it is smoking several kilometers wide, and at dawn it was still clearly visible through the red color of the clouds that still burned,” reported on Monday the German Thomas Becker, who lives in the vicinity, and emphasized: “The flames must be very big, if we can still see them that well from about 25 kilometers away, fortunately there is no wind. “
The causes are still being sought
On the tallest freestanding mountain in the world, rescue services have been putting out the fire for days. At the same time, investigations would be launched to find out the cause of the flames. According to “The Citizen,” people from the surrounding communities helped. Because the fire broke out higher, the job of extinguishing is difficult.
Llamas at night: the view from Mosi village in Tanzania.
Photo: Reuters (October 12, 2020)
“According to the park administration, the fire occurred in a picnic area on the Marangu route at an altitude of around 3,500 meters,” mountain guide Debbie Bachmann said shortly before her ascent with a group of Germans, Swiss and Austrians from the German Press Agency. “Therefore, the park administration has advised us to take a different route because the fire has not yet been extinguished.”
At the moment, there is hardly any water there. Bachmann: “Many streams have dried up.” Although there was rainfall from October of the previous year to June that was well above average, Becker also emphasized: “It is completely dry and very hot for the time of year; temperatures on the plain are currently around 34 degrees Celsius on average, and therefore above the seasonal average. “
Tens of thousands of climbers a year
The last time there was a fire on Kilimanjaro was in October 2016. At 5895 meters, Kilimanjaro is considered not only the highest mountain in Africa, but also the landmark of Tanzania. In recent years, studies have repeatedly raised the question of whether changes in its snow cover could be the result of climate change.
Every year, in normal times, it is climbed by tens of thousands of mountaineers from all over the world. On the ascent, you first cross a belt of rainforest before reaching a landscape of heather and moorland. There the fire broke out for a still inexplicable cause.
This was Kilimanjaro 13 years ago without fire and with a snowy dome in late autumn.
Photo: Finbarr O’Reilly (Reuters / November 22, 2007)
Mountaineering tourism feeds an entire industry of porters and service providers who help with the ascent. Although Tanzania still has comparatively simple entry requirements, according to industry information, tourism in the region is present in Corona times. According to government figures, around 1.6 million jobs in the East African country depend directly or indirectly on tourism.
