High pillars of black fire smoke rise from the slopes of Africa's highest mountain.
The fire started on Sunday and has now spread to an area of about three kilometers in diameter, and it is not yet under control.
Employees of Tanzania's national parks, along with firefighters and hundreds of volunteers from nearby villages, are battling the blaze, which is spreading rapidly in the dry land and strong winds on the mountain.
Threatens several species
On Thursday, rescue workers also received help from helicopters to curb the flames that threaten several endemic species in both the animal and plant kingdoms.
- This devastating fire cuts through some of Tanzania's most valuable natural areas.
The whole country is following the shock development, says conservationist Padili Mikomangwa to the New York Times.
It is unclear how the fire started, but it is believed to have occurred at a camp for tourists.
"It seems that fire that was lit to heat food set fire to the dry ground and then spread quickly," said Pascal Shelutete, spokesman for Tanzania's national parks, according to the BBC.
"Is on a whole new level"
Thousands of tourists annually want to climb the mountain, which in recent years has increased concern for nature in and around Kilimanjaro.
But there is nothing against the devastation the ongoing fire threatens to cause.
"This is on a whole new level," Marcell Peters, a researcher on Kilimanjaro's ecosystem, told the New York Times.
According to him, the burned forest could lead to more and worse fires in the coming years.
There are no reports of any deaths in the fire.