A total of 14 mountain areas in East Java have been reported to have\nexperienced forest and land fires (karhutla) throughout the 2026 dry\nseason. Among these dozen-plus locations, the Mount Bromo area in\nProbolinggo has become one of the sites with particularly severe\ndamage.<\/p>\n
The Chairman of the Operations Control Centre (Pusdalops) of the East\nJava Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Muhammad Amrul,\nconfirmed that as of Wednesday (16\/09), joint teams are still working to\nextinguish fires in five mountain areas, while nine others have been\ndeclared stable.<\/p>\n
\u201cOut of the 14 mountain areas, five are still undergoing handling and\nfirefighting by joint teams. The remainder have been declared stable,\u201d\nAmrul stated in Surabaya.<\/p>\n
The 14 mountain areas affected by the fires include Mount Semeru,\nMount Arjuno-Welirang, Mount Bromo, Mount Buthak, Mount Kawi Kajang,\nMount Wilis, Mount Argopuro, Mount Ijen, Mount Raung, Mount Pegat, Mount\nPayaman, Mount Gede Blitar, Mount Ndangean, and Mount Lawu.<\/p>\n
Currently, joint officers are prioritising efforts in the five\nmountains where the fires have not yet been fully extinguished, namely\nMount Bromo, Mount Semeru, Mount Argopuro, Mount Kawi Kajang, and Mount\nLawu. Conditions on the ground are reported to vary.<\/p>\n
In the Mount Bromo and Mount Semeru areas, the impact of the fires is\nestimated to have reached 200 hectares. Although recent satellite\nimagery shows fire hotspots are beginning to subside, officers continue\nto conduct sweeps at the locations.<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficers are continuing sweeps and wetting operations to anticipate\nthe emergence of embers. The helicopter PK-DAP has also been prepared\nfor observation, and if conditions permit, water bombing will be carried\nout,\u201d Amrul explained.<\/p>\n
Severe fires have also struck the Mount Argopuro area, which has\nrecorded the burning of approximately 488 hectares of land since\nSaturday, 12 September 2026. Amrul revealed that the main obstacle to\nfirefighting in this region is the location of the fire on extremely\nsteep mountain slopes.<\/p>\n
\u201cJoint teams are monitoring Mount Gilap because the fire hotspot is\nlocated on a mountain slope that is inaccessible. Currently, the\ncondition of Argopuro is covered in fog, so the fire points and smoke\nare not visible through visual monitoring,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, firefighting efforts are also being focused on Mount\nKawi Kajang (Blitar) and Mount Buthak (Malang). The total land burned in\nthese two areas is estimated to reach 800 hectares.<\/p>\n
For today\u2019s operational plan, joint teams are scheduled to conduct\nsweeps via the hiking trail of Tulungrejo Village, Pujon Kidul District,\nand perform intensive monitoring up to Post 3 of Mount Buthak to ensure\nthe fire does not spread further.<\/p>\n
Mount Semeru experienced three eruptions on Monday morning\n(14\/09\/2026) with an ash column height of up to 1,000 metres. The status\nof Mount Semeru remains at Level III (Alert).<\/p>\n
Forest fires in the Ijen Crater Tourism Area have begun to decrease.\nJoint teams are focusing on mopping up and aerial firefighting in\ndifficult spots such as Mount Papak.<\/p>\n
The East Java Provincial Government, through BPBD East Java,\nsuccessfully implemented Weather Modification Operations (OMC) to tackle\ndrought in 24 regions and reduce the risk of forest fires, resulting in\nrain falling in 11 locations.<\/p>\n
BBKSDA East Java has temporarily closed the Ijen Crater Tourism Area\ndue to forest fires spreading to the Pondok Bunder hiking trail. The\nclosure is in effect until an unspecified time.<\/p>\n
Firefighting at Mount Bromo is now being focused via land routes due\nto the challenges of strong winds and volcanic ash. All tourist routes\nhave been completely closed.<\/p>\n
Efforts to extinguish the fire in the Mount Bromo area via aerial\noperations using water bombing helicopters have been temporarily\nsuspended.<\/p>\n
The area of forest fire on the slopes of Mount Semeru has reached 600\nhectares. Joint officers are focusing on manual firefighting and\ncreating fire breaks to protect residents.<\/p>\n
Joint teams are using drone technology and water bombing helicopters\nto tackle the Mount Bromo forest fires. The affected area has reached\n1,120.3 hectares of vegetation.<\/p>\n
BNPB aims for the total extinction of the Mount Bromo forest fires by\nFriday (14\/08). The challenges of steep 80-degree terrain and limited\nwater supplies are being addressed through water bombing.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/2026-dry-season-14-mountains-in-east-java-burn-bromo-and-argopuro-worst-hit-1789566976", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }