Arjuno-Welirang Fire Reaches 146 Hectares
The forest and land fire (karhutla) that has struck the Raden Soerjo Grand Forest Park (Tahura) area on Mount Arjuno-Welirang is estimated to have scorched around 146 hectares of land.
Head of the East Java Provincial Forestry Service, Jumadi, stated that the burned area is still a provisional estimate. The exact figure will be verified further once all firefighting operations on the ground are completed.
“Around 140 hectares (estimated area affected by the forest fire), that is the first release, before any further incidents beyond yesterday’s,” Jumadi said when contacted on Monday (24/8).
Jumadi explained that ground firefighting operations have encountered obstacles because the remaining hotspots are located on the slope leading to the summit of Mount Arjuno. The location is extremely difficult for personnel to reach due to the steep terrain, with gradients of 60 to 70 degrees.
In response to these constraints, joint personnel have deployed a helicopter from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) with a capacity of 1,000 litres of water. Water refilling points are concentrated at several strategic locations, such as the Kaliandra pond, Taman Safari, and the Pasuruan BPBD water tank at Kaliandra Field, to ensure the pace of aerial operations is not hindered.
“Water bombing is still being carried out. Other points such as Kembar 1, Kembar 2, and around Lapangan Kotak have been extinguished. Only one point remains that is being focused on,” he explained.
Regarding losses or the impact of the fire on the flora and fauna ecosystem in the conservation area, the Forestry Service admitted it cannot yet provide an assessment. All personnel are still prioritised on fully taming the blaze.
“We are concentrating first on extinguishing the fire. After that, we will evaluate its impact on the habitat,” he said.
As for the trigger of the fire, Jumadi cannot yet conclude definitively whether the incident was purely due to negligence or involved intent. However, he believes the emergence of the fire source is closely linked to human activity.
“If fire is carried, it is certainly by humans. But whether it was intentional or not, that is what we do not yet know,” he said.
Previously, the forest and land fire in the Raden Soerjo Grand Forest Park area on Mount Arjuno-Welirang began on Tuesday (18/8). To date, the total area affected by the fire cannot yet be confirmed.
As a result of the fire, the hiking trails on Mount Arjuno-Welirang have been temporarily closed since Wednesday (19/8) until an unspecified time. The closure is based on an announcement letter issued by the Raden Soerjo Tahura Technical Implementation Unit, Number 500.4.6.10/1276/123.7.2/2026.