Forest and land fires surrounding mountainous areas in East Java are\nspreading and becoming increasingly alarming. Five mountains are\nrecorded as experiencing major fires simultaneously, with the total\naffected area reaching 1,488 hectares.<\/p>\n
The Head of Emergency and Logistics at the East Java Regional\nDisaster Management Agency (BPBD), Satriyo Nurseno, detailed that the\nhotspots are spread across Mount Kawinajang, Argopuro, Bromo, Semeru\nand, most recently, have spread to the Mount Lawu area.<\/p>\n
The worst fires are currently hitting the Mount Kawinajang area in\nBlitar Regency and the Buthak Mountain savannah in Malang Regency. The\nextent of burnt ecosystem in these areas is estimated to have reached\n800 hectares, a figure predicted to keep growing.<\/p>\n
Hotspots are still observed burning on the southern side of Mount\nKawinajang. According to Satriyo, aerial operations to extinguish the\nfire on the Kawinajang slopes were temporarily halted due to bad weather\nthreatening safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cWater bombing could not be carried out this afternoon and evening\nbecause of strong winds and thick smoke plumes, which disrupted\nvisibility and operational flight safety,\u201d said Satriyo on Tuesday\n(15\/9).<\/p>\n
Instead, joint personnel are now focused on manual firefighting in\nslope areas still reachable by ground teams.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, fires have consumed 488 hectares of land in the Mount\nArgopuro area, specifically around Mount Gilap in Suci Village. Steep\nterrain is the main obstacle, as ground firefighting teams cannot reach\nthe hotspots directly to carry out firebreak operations.<\/p>\n
A joint team from the Jember Regency Natural Resources Conservation\nCentre is currently attempting to create firebreaks on Mount Gilap and\ndouse the embers.<\/p>\n
However, Satriyo said the teams\u2019 efforts have been somewhat helped by\nlight rain falling around the Lumut Forest area during sweeping\noperations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are still remnants of fire in several locations. The burnt\nvegetation consists of mountain cypress and scrub bushland. A number of\ntrees have fallen due to burning, and some are still emitting smoke,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS) area,\naround 200 hectares of land on Mount Bromo, covering Ngadas, Watu Gede\nand Jemplang villages, have been reported burnt.<\/p>\n
Thick fog blanketing the area has complicated visual monitoring. Even\nso, ground teams continue sweeping using jet shooter and alkon\nfirefighting equipment, while keeping a fleet of water tanker trucks on\nstandby.<\/p>\n
To reach difficult spots, BPBD East Java has taken the tactical step\nof deploying unmanned aircraft technology.<\/p>\n
\u201cBased on the results of the joint team\u2019s sweep, no hotspots were\nfound visually, but smoke plumes are still visible. BPBD East Java is\ndeploying drone water spray to accelerate the extinguishing of the fire\nin the Mount Bromo area,\u201d said Satriyo.<\/p>\n
Still within the TNBTS area, fires are reported to be burning on\nMount Semeru, specifically in the Metigi Renteng Block, Argosari\nVillage, Lumajang Regency. Unlike the foggy conditions at Bromo, the\nweather on Semeru is observed to be bright and cloudy.<\/p>\n
Satriyo stressed that the extent of the impact on Semeru is still\nbeing recorded. Joint firefighting teams continue efforts to suppress\nthe fire\u2019s movement through manual firefighting using gepyok tools.<\/p>\n
Amid the intense efforts to extinguish the fires on the four\nmountains, BPBD East Java received a report of a new incident on Mount\nLawu on Monday morning (14\/9) at around 09:00 WIB. The fire occurred on\nthe border between Jabung Village in Magetan Regency and Karangrejo\nVillage in Ngawi Regency.<\/p>\n
\u201cA forest fire has occurred on Mount Lawu in Compartments 50 and 44\nof the Jabung Forest Management Unit. There are currently still hotspots\naround the location,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
As of the publication of this report, East Java Provincial BPBD\npersonnel, together with regional BPBD teams, are conducting assessments\nand coordinating with local village officials on the Lawu slopes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are no casualties; the impact is still being recorded,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/forest-fires-engulf-five-mountains-in-east-java-1-488-hectares-scorched-1789466037", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }