232 Forest and Land Fires in Central Java, Up 700 Percent
Forest and land fires in Central Java have surged dramatically by up to 700 percent as of Sunday (23/8) compared to the same period the previous year. Based on the latest data, 232 fire incidents have been recorded, scorching hundreds of hectares of vegetation and waste disposal infrastructure.
Monitoring by Media Indonesia on Tuesday (25/8) showed that although the scale of the fires is not as large as in Kalimantan or Sumatra, the frequency of fires in Central Java during the June to August period has increased manifold. In addition to forest and land fires, fires at business premises and residential areas were also reported almost daily.
The Central Java Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) recorded that the total area affected by forest and land fires reached 194 hectares of land, 213 hectares of forest, and 2.17 hectares of final disposal sites.
“The total number of fire incidents in Central Java reached 547 events up to August 2026. This consists of 232 forest and land fire disasters and 315 residential and building fire incidents,” said Central Java BPBD Head Bergas Catursasi Penanggungan on Tuesday (25/8).
Bergas explained that the escalation of forest and land fires has risen sharply with the onset of the peak dry season. The disasters are spread across 35 regencies and cities, with estimated material losses reaching Rp23 billion.
According to data compiled by Central Java BPBD, there are 10 areas with the highest frequency of forest and land fires. According to Bergas, land fires are dominated by agricultural areas, particularly sugarcane plantations and shrubland. The main trigger is suspected to stem from human error, such as the practice of burning land to clear sugarcane harvest residue.
Previously, Central Java Deputy Governor Taj Yasin Maimoen urged the public to increase vigilance. He stressed that careless actions in dry vegetation areas could trigger flames that are difficult to control.
“Yesterday I received reports from Wonogiri and Kudus. We must anticipate and properly guard against this, such as not discarding cigarette butts carelessly, because there are many dry plants that easily catch fire when exposed to sparks,” said the figure familiarly known as Gus Yasin.
The Central Java Provincial Government is paying serious attention to the surge in forest and land fire figures, given that the peak of the dry season is expected to continue until September.