Firefighters battle to contain a fire on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Oct. 12, 2020. (Str/Xinhua)
At least 34.2 square kilometers of natural vegetation on Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, were destroyed by the recent fire outbreak in about ten days, an official said on Friday.
DAR ES SALAAM, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- At least 34.2 square kilometers of natural vegetation on Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, were destroyed by the recent fire outbreak in about ten days, an official said on Friday.
William Mwakilema, the conservation commissioner for the Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), said the destroyed natural vegetation was equivalent to 1.9 percent of the mountain's conservation area.
Briefing journalists in Tanzania's northern city of Arusha on the impacts of the fire that broke out on Africa's highest mountain from October 21 to November 1, Mwakilema said the fire also killed a number of snakes, lizards and rats.
Firefighters battle to contain a fire on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Oct. 12, 2020. (Str/Xinhua)
He said firefighters from various public and private institutions faced challenges when fighting the fire, including the inability to fight fire in high altitude, inaccessibility of areas that caught fire, and strong winds that made the fire spread faster.
Mount Kilimanjaro, one of Tanzania's leading tourist destinations, is about 5,895 meters above sea level. Roughly 50,000 trekkers from across the world attempt to reach the summit of the mountain annually. ■
