Tanzanian authorities say more than 400 porters and tour guides have joined groups battling a fire that broke out in Africa’s highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, which has been spreading due to strong winds.

It comes as the fire reignited in areas that were previously under control.

More than 500 officers from the defence and security forces alongside tourism stakeholders have been fighting the fire that started on Friday.

The permanent secretary in charge of tourism, Prof Eliamani Sedoyeka, said the fire had reignited in three areas by early Tuesday and they had only managed to contain one of the areas by evening.

Two years ago, a week-long inferno destroyed thousands of hectares of woodland on the slopes of the mountain.

Mount Kilimanjaro, which is 5,895m (19,341 ft) high, is a popular tourist destination and tens of thousands of people climb it every year.

Source: BBC