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. This was reported by The Xinhua News Agency.
William Mwakilema, the conservation commissioner for the Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), said the destroyed natural vegetation was equivalent to 1.9% of the mountain's conservation area.
Mwakilema said the fire also killed a number of snakes, lizards and rats.
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.
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