VIDEO: Africa’s highest peak, Kilimanjaro is on fire

Moshi. Mount Kilimanjaro which Africa’s highest peak is on fire, the cause of the fire which is believed to be at hundreds of metres above sea level is yet to be established.

Eye witnesses said efforts by local communities around the affected to extinguish the wild fires were underway but this was hampered by the altitude at which the fire is.

The flames could easily be seen from as far as Moshi town which is some tens of kilometers away from the mountain.

According to Kilimanjaro National Park (Kinapa) the fire broke out late afternoon on Sunday October 11, the same information was later confirmed by the Tanzania National Parks Communications manager Pascal Shelutete saying they would issue a detailed statement later.

Mountain climbers on the Marangu route who were at Kibo Hut were quoted to have seen the fire in the shrubs that are close to Mandara saying given the nature of the vegetation it could spread further if not contained.

Mount Kilimanjaro has three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest single free-standing mountain in the world: 5,895 metres above sea level and about 4,900 metres  above its plateau base.

Kilimanjaro is the 4th most topographically prominent peak on Earth. The first people known to have reached the summit were Hans Meyer and Ludwig Purtscheller, in 1889.

It is part of Kilimanjaro National Park and is a major climbing destination. Because of its shrinking glaciers and disappearing ice fields, it has been the subject of many scientific studies