Fire Guts slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro
Fire Guts slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro: Recently, fire broke out on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania which is the highest mountain in Africa and is famous for being snowcapped and for being a destination for most hiking adventures in Tanzania.
According to the Tanzania national parks authority (TANAPA), the fire was still present on the mountain by 12th October and the locals as well as firefighters were joining efforts to contain the fire which is along the Marangu route.
TANAPA which is the authority in charge of managing the national parks in Tanzania including Mount Kilimanjaro informed the media that they are making efforts “steps” to ensure that the fire will not affect the lives of the tourists, their equipment, the porters as well as the tour guides.
Students as well as the locals are also said to have joined the fire fighters in a joint effort to control the fire and put it out eventually on Mount Kilimanjaro. Another important fact about Mount Kilimanjaro is that it is one of the 7 summits.
A high number of tourists are known to visit Mount Kilimanjaro annually as they take on hiking adventures along the different hiking routes on the mountain located in the northern part of Tanzania.
The fire on Mount Kilimanjaro broke out on Sunday 11th October 2020 and the flames could be seen from a distance. It was difficult to put out the fire at first following efforts by the locals living in the neighboring communities around the mountain.
At a height of about 5895 meters, Mount Kilimanjaro is among the popular tourist attractions which tourists visit during their Tanzania safaris. Marangu area where the fire broke out is one of the hiking routes and other routes which tourists hike on this mountain include Lemosho route, Shira route, Umbwe route, Machame route and Rongai route.
The hiking activities which tourists engage in during their trips on Mount Kilimanjaro range from 5 days and above along the different trekking routes. Each of the routes offers a different challenge to the hikers as they enjoy views around the mountain.
Upon reaching the summit, the hikers can spend some time there enjoying photography at Uhuru peak and then start their descent. A known fact about Uhuru peak is that it is the highest summit on Mount Kilimanjaro.
Mount Kilimanjaro which was in flames as of 12th October consists of 3 peaks like Kibo, Shira and Mawenzi. Kibo is the highest on the mountain and Mawenzi is at 5,149 meters while Shira is at 4,005 meters. Tourists from different walks of life take on the challenge to hike up to the summit on this mountain as they enjoy Tanzania safaris.
The snowcapped nature of Mount Kilimanjaro and its height are among the factors which attract a big number of tourists while on their Tanzania safaris to engage in hiking adventures on different trails on the mountain. Mount Kilimanjaro is also the highest free standing mountain in the world.
The Marangu route where the fire is said to have broken out according to different sources, is also the oldest and popular route for hiking on Mount Kilimanjaro. The cause of the fire on Mount Kilimanjaro has not been known yet although the fire could be seen from as far as Moshi town.
The altitude where the fire broke out on Mount Kilimanjaro has made it a little difficult however to control the fire on the mountain located in Tanzania. Some of the tourists on hiking adventures on Mount Kilimanjaro reportedly saw the fire close to Mandara hut.
Kilimanjaro Mountain is a major attraction in Tanzania and Africa as a whole being the highest mountain in Africa. The snowcapped mountain is also part of Kilimanjaro national park and is among the major attractions at the destination.
Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is crossed by the equator and it consists of bush land, a rainforest zone, moorland, alpine desert zone as well as an arctic zone. These make up the vegetation at different altitudes on the mountain.
News about the fire outbreak on Mount Kilimanjaro was made public when Tanzania national parks authority posted about the unfortunate incident on their twitter account stating in Swahili “Moto umezuka mlima Kilimanjaro leo mchana na jitihada za kuuzima bado zinaendelea. Tarifa zaidi zitafuatia”.
Many lie in wait as the cause of the fire on Mount Kilimanjaro is still to be made known by the park authorities.
