Fire on Kilimanjaro 90 per cent contained as fight to protect Africa’s highest peak is intensified

SATURDAY September 5, 2026

By Adam Ihucha

The Tranquillity News Correspondent, Tanzania

Two days after flames broke out on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania said Saturday that the wildfire had been brought 90 per cent under control, a development that offered a sigh of relief around Africa’s highest mountain even as crews continued working to extinguish the remaining fire.

Dr Ashatu Kijaji, Tanzania’s Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, visited the affected area Saturday to assess the situation and observe the firefighting operation underway inside Kilimanjaro National Park.

After touring the area, Dr Kijaji said the fire was 90 per cent contained and that tourism activities inside the park were continuing normally.

The fire has drawn attention to the vulnerability of one of Africa’s most recognisable landscapes — a mountain that is simultaneously a protected ecosystem, an international tourism icon, and an important source of livelihoods for communities in northern Tanzania.

But containment is not the same as extinction.

Authorities said firefighting operations were continuing to ensure that the remaining flames and hotspots were brought fully under control and prevented from spreading.

Mr Massana Mwishawa, the conservation commissioner of Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), said the operation was progressing through cooperation among the park’s conservation force, the Tanzania Fire and Rescue Force, and tourism stakeholders.

The cause of the fire has not yet been established.

A fire on a mountain of many ecosystems

Kilimanjaro rises nearly 6,000 metres above sea level, its slopes passing through dramatically different ecological zones before reaching the mountain’s high-altitude summit.

That geography makes firefighting particularly demanding.

Crews operating on the mountain must contend with steep and rugged terrain, changing weather, and vegetation that can provide fuel for a fire, while working in an environment where access can be considerably more difficult than on the plains below.

The affected Kikererwa area is in the northeastern part of Kilimanjaro National Park, near Tanzania’s border with Kenya.

The location is away from the principal lower-elevation gateway areas used by many visitors, but the fire’s position on the mountain underscores the challenges of protecting a vast and ecologically diverse protected area.

For conservation authorities, the stakes extend well beyond a tourist trail.

Kilimanjaro’s ecosystems provide habitat for wildlife, protect vegetation, and contribute to the mountain’s wider watershed.

What happens on its slopes can have consequences for ecological systems and communities beyond the park boundary.

The firefighting response has, therefore, brought together institutions and people with different roles in protecting the mountain: TANAPA conservation officers, professional firefighters, neighbouring communities, and tourism operators.

Assistant Conservation Commissioner Catherine Mbena, Head of TANAPA Corporate Communication, thanked those who have participated in the operation, recognising their contributions of resources, cooperation, and manpower in protecting the park’s natural resources and preventing the fire from spreading.

The response has also underscored the importance of cooperation between Tanzania’s protected-area authorities and communities living around national parks.

Tourism remains open

For Tanzania’s tourism industry, perhaps the most immediate concern has been whether the fire would disrupt climbing operations on a mountain that attracts visitors from across the world.

So far, authorities say it has not.

Tourism activities inside Kilimanjaro National Park are continuing, according to Dr Kijaji.

That message carries economic weight.

Kilimanjaro is one of Tanzania’s best-known tourism destinations, attracting climbers who come to attempt Africa’s highest summit as well as visitors drawn by the mountain’s landscapes, surrounding communities, and cultural experiences.

The economic chain extends far beyond the national park.

Mountain tourism supports guides, porters, cooks, drivers, accommodation providers, restaurants, equipment suppliers, and other businesses in the surrounding region.

A prolonged closure or significant disruption to climbing routes could, therefore, reverberate through a much wider local economy.

For now, however, the message from authorities is continuity: The fire is largely contained, and tourism is continuing.

The danger is not over

The 90 per cent containment figure provides important reassurance, but it does not eliminate the risk.

Wildfires can persist in isolated pockets of vegetation and reignite when conditions become favourable.

That makes the final stage of suppression critical.

The immediate task for TANAPA and its partners is to extinguish the remaining fire and ensure that it does not spread into additional areas.

The longer-term challenge may be more complicated.

Kilimanjaro, like mountain ecosystems around the world, is being affected by environmental changes.

Scientists have documented shifts in temperature, rainfall, and vegetation patterns on the mountain, factors that can influence the dryness of vegetation and the conditions under which fires can be ignited and spread.

That does not establish that climate change caused this particular blaze. The cause of the current fire remains undetermined.

But the broader environmental context matters.

A warmer or drier landscape can change the behaviour of fire, potentially making prevention and suppression more difficult.

For conservation managers, that means the response cannot end when this week’s flames disappear.

A warning beyond Kilimanjaro

Dr Kijaji used her visit to appeal to people living around Tanzania’s national parks to avoid activities that could trigger fires and damage protected ecosystems.

Dr Kijaji also urged communities to continue respecting established boundaries between protected areas and neighbouring settlements.

The message reflects a reality faced by conservation authorities across Tanzania: National parks do not exist in isolation.

Communities live alongside protected areas. People move through landscapes bordering forests, grasslands and wildlife habitats.

Agricultural activity, cooking fires, land clearing, and other human activities can create risks when conditions are dry.

Preventing the next wildfire may therefore depend as much on relationships with neighbouring communities as on the speed with which firefighters respond once a blaze begins.

For Kilimanjaro, that challenge is particularly consequential.

The mountain is more than a destination for climbers. It is an ecological landmark, a national symbol, and a pillar of Tanzania’s international tourism identity.

Saturday’s 90 per cent containment announcement represents a significant step towards bringing the immediate emergency to an end.

But the remaining 10 per cent is still burning.

And until the last flames are extinguished, the battle for Kilimanjaro is not over.