A fire broke out on Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro recently. The National Parks Service (TANAPA) in a statement stated that firefighters were battling the fierce blaze. The country’s National Park Service even shared a picture of the mountain with far off red lights that were supposedly the fires burning on the mountain. The Kilimanjaro sits at 20,000 feet (6,000 metres) above sea level and witnesses 50,000 tourists every year.

An initial image showed flames on the mountain, showing an orange blaze about midway up Africa’s highest peak, with the Tanzania National Parks service saying that “efforts to extinguish it are still ongoing.”

The fires simmered down owing to hard winds but then took off again after the wind died out. No deaths and injuries have been reported so far, and no property damage has occurred yet. “The fire is still going on and firefighters from TANAPA, other government institutions and locals are continuing with the efforts to contain it,” Pascal Shelutete, a TANAPA official told.

Local newspaper The Citizen said the flames could easily be seen in towns around the mountain and efforts by local communities to put out the fire were hampered by the altitude of the affected area.

The TANAPA official told that they are taking all necessary precautions to ensure no danger looms over people’s lives and that the equipment remains unharmed. “The fire is big and they are continuing to fight it,” Alex Kisingo, deputy head at the College of African Wildlife Management said. The college is located near the mountain. The institution has sent out 264 staff members and students to aid efforts in controlling the fire. Additionally, they are helping local authorities deliver food and water to the firefighters.

Mount Kilimanjaro has 3 volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira. It is the 4th most topographically prominent peak on Earth. It is part of Kilimanjaro National Park and is a popular hiking and mountain climbing destination. Because of its shrinking glaciers and disappearing ice fields, it has been the subject of many scientific studies. Mount Kilimanjaro ecosystem supports the life of over two million residents on its lower slopes in Tanzania and Kenya, who depend directly on the mountain’s resources, mostly water and rain for agriculture and livestock rearing.