Tanzania deploys helicopter to boost fight to douse Kilimanjaro fires

People are seen near a fire spreading on Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, on October 12, 2020, in this picture obtained from social media. 

Tanzania said on Thursday it had deployed a helicopter to bolster its efforts to put out a blaze that has been burning on Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, in the East African country’s north.

“In order to increase efficiency in containing the fire, we have started using a helicopter since this afternoon,” Hamisi Kigwangalla, minister for natural resources and tourism, said in a statement late on Thursday.