A fire broke out in the rainforest on Mount Muhabura in the Volcanoes National Park on Friday, August 14, with firefighting teams working to contain the blaze.

Eugene Mutangana, Executive Secretary of the Rwanda Nature Foundation, which manages the park, said smoke was first spotted at around 6 a.m. on Friday at an altitude of about 3,000 metres. Rangers confirmed that it was a fire.

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Mutangana told The New Times the exact cause remains unknown, although authorities suspect it could be linked to people harvesting honey in the area.

He said rangers, Rwanda Development Board (RDB), local authorities and community and security organs have been mobilised to fight the fire.

The firefighting teams have managed to cut grass on the eastern side of the park which is more exposed with savanna glass to slow its spread, while efforts are also underway to prevent it from spreading into the forested area.

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Mutangana said more than 15 hectares are estimated to have been affected so far, although the exact area will be established once the fire is contained.

"No people have been affected so far,” he said, adding that teams would remain on the ground because withdrawing could allow the fire to spread further.

He said calmer weather, particularly reduced wind and lower temperatures, could help efforts to contain the blaze.

One of the volcanoes in the Virunga Massif, Muhabura rises to 4,127 metres above sea level and is located on the Rwanda-Uganda border.