“The fire has finally been put out,” a SummitClimb guide reported today, after safely descending Kilimanjaro with his party, “but it has burnt a very big area and caused significant damage to Horombo station.”
The National Park Service (TANAPA) says that the Kilimanjaro fire has destroyed 95km (five percent) of the mountain’s vegetation. It is unknown whether the Marangu and other affected routes remain closed to mountaineers, so anyone with plans to go should contact their operator. General information about Kilimanjaro is available here.
Tanzania’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism has announced that the park will buy its own helicopter to assist with future natural disasters.
The edge of Kilimanjaro’s scorched earth. Photo: The Observer
