Arjuno-Welirang Hiking Routes Closed Due to Forest Fire
Mount Arjuno-Welirang, part of the Raden Soerjo Grand Forest Park (Tahura), has been hit by another forest and land fire since Friday night (16 October). Following the incident, hiking access was officially closed from Saturday (17 October).
The closure was formally announced by Agustiningtyas Marini, head of the Raden Soerjo Grand Forest Park Technical Implementation Unit (UPT), in announcement No. 500.4.6.10/1886/123.7.2/2026.
“Following the fire in the Raden Soerjo Grand Forest Park area from 17 October 2026, all hiking activities on Mount Arjuno-Welirang are temporarily closed,” Agustiningtyas said in an official statement on Saturday (17 October).
She said the closure was an essential preventive measure to ensure the safety of nature enthusiasts from smoke and the spread of the flames.
Joint teams on the ground are concentrating their resources and personnel on extinguishing the fire to prevent it spreading further and damaging the mountain ecosystem.
“We are evacuating hikers who went up yesterday,” she said.
The Raden Soerjo Grand Forest Park authorities have not yet said when the hiking routes will reopen and resume normal operations.
Agustiningtyas said reopening would depend on an assessment of conditions on the ground, once all fire hotspots had been confirmed extinguished and the routes declared safe for hikers.
“The closure is in place until further notice. We ask for your understanding. Let us hope the situation returns to normal soon,” she said.
Mount Arjuno in East Java was again hit by a forest and land fire on Friday night (16 October). Amateur footage recorded by a member of the public captured the incident and circulated widely on social media.
The footage showed a long stretch of reddish flames burning on the slopes of Arjuno. The fire was clearly visible from the Malang Toll Road gate.
East Java Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Head of Emergency and Logistics Satriyo Nurseno confirmed that the fire had occurred on Mount Arjuno.
“[The fire is] on Mount Arjuno,” Satriyo told CNNIndonesia.com on Friday night.
Satriyo said it was not yet known exactly when the fire first started or how much land on Mount Arjuno had been affected.
However, Tahura teams and BPBD personnel had headed to the site to begin firefighting efforts.