The fire at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is under control. TANAPA, the organization that manages the national parks in the African country, says this Friday after conducting an aerial inspection.
About 95 square kilometers, about 5 percent of the total area of Kilimanjaro National Park, has been affected by the fire, according to TANAPA. This has no consequences for tourism.
On Sunday, the fire broke out on the highest mountain on the African continent. The fire started in a camp where climbers sleep on the way to the top. The fire was visible dozens of miles away.
Strong gusts and the height at which the fire started made extinguishing more difficult. Hundreds firefighters and volunteers were involved in fighting the fire. On Thursday, the country still deployed fire-fighting helicopters.
Mount Kilimanjaro is almost 6,000 meters high and is the highest free-standing mountain in the world. More than 50,000 tourists climb the mountain every year.
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