Large flames and plumes of smoke on the slopes of Africa's highest mountain were visible from a distance. The fire was burning near a popular camp for climbers.

Hundreds of firefighters were struggling on Saturday to put out the blaze on Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, which began a day earlier.

Police and local people were helping to tackle the flames.

Their efforts have been hampered by strong winds and smoke that was hampering visibility on the mountain.

A plane transporting officials from Tanzania National Parks Authority for a visit to evaluate the situation was unable to land on Saturday.

"Large clouds and the smoke prevented us from reaching the fire zone," regional commissioner, Nurdin Babu, told journalists.

"We will try again when the situation improves."

No casualties reported

Officials said the blaze wasn't posing a threat to tourists on the mountain.

However, the fire was burning near the camp Karanga site used by climbers ascending the mountain, at about 4,000 meters altitude on the south side of the mountain.

The cause of the fire is not clear. It comes almost exactly two years after another blaze that raged on the mountain for a week.

Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest summit, is popular with both trekkers and mountain climbers.

Every year, around 50,000 people make their way to the summit.

(AFP, dpa)