Firefighters bring Mount Kilimanjaro wildfire under control

Firefighters had brought 90% of a fire in Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro National Park under control by the morning of Sept. 5, but crews were still battling the remaining flames in the Kikelelwa area of Rombo District.

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By this morning we had managed to control 90% of the fire, leaving 10% that we are continuing to fight.

Natural Resources and Tourism Minister Ashatu Kijaji said teams from Tanzania National Parks, the Tanzania Forest Services Agency, the Fire and Rescue Force and local communities were working at the site. Helicopters had supported firefighters operating at high altitude during the previous two days.

“By this morning we had managed to control 90% of the fire, leaving 10% that we are continuing to fight,” Kijaji said. She added that wind moving against the fire had helped the response. The minister said officials hoped to reach 99% control by the evening.

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We thank our partners, who have supported us all these years, but another government preparedness plan is for TANAPA to have its own helicopter.

The government has directed Tanzania National Parks to buy its own helicopter instead of relying on partners. Kijaji said earlier detection could have allowed authorities to extinguish the fire sooner, and the helicopter would help monitor protected areas during the dry season.

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If we had noticed this fire much earlier, we could have extinguished it sooner.

Authorities had not identified the cause of the fire. Kijaji said an assessment would follow once the blaze was fully extinguished, while investigators continued examining its effects. She urged tourists and guides climbing Mount Kilimanjaro not to carry potential sources of fire into national parks.

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The cause of the fire has still not been established because we are first dealing with this challenge.