Kilimanjaro: Fire contained after burning 1,800 hectares

The fire was detected on September 3 at around 3:30 pm in the Kikererwa area within the park, near the Rombo district and the border with Kenya. The Tanzania National Parks Authority then deployed firefighting teams with support from other services and local communities.

The operations involved conservation officers, fire and rescue services, tourism stakeholders, and local residents. Strong winds and the highly flammable Erica-type vegetation complicated the firefighting efforts, according to the Tanzanian fire and rescue service.

An initial assessment suggests a human-related cause, but the exact circumstances of the fire’s outbreak have not yet been established. Conservation teams continue to monitor the affected areas for any potential residual hotspots.

At the start of the fire, TANAPA indicated that tourism activities, including climbing Kilimanjaro via authorized routes, were continuing as normal. Satellite images from the European Sentinel-2 taken on September 4 showed a plume of smoke over the massif.

Kilimanjaro regularly experiences fires during the dry season. In October 2022, several fires on the massif destroyed more than 34.2 square kilometers of vegetation, according to Tanzanian authorities.