Bromo Fire Expands to 10 Hectares, Three Tourist Entrances Closed

A forest and land fire (karhutla) in the Mount Bromo tourist area has expanded to an estimated 10 hectares, prompting the closure of three main access points. The blaze is being fueled by strong winds and dry savanna, complicating efforts by a joint task force to extinguish it.

Oemar Sjarief, Head of the Probolinggo Regency Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), stated that the fire remains uncontained. “Based on reports from officers in the field, the fire is not yet extinguished, so personnel continue to work on suppressing the hotspots,” he said on Wednesday.

Firefighting efforts are facing technical difficulties due to a lack of equipment. “The manual fire beaters (kepyok) are all damaged from extensive use during the operation, but officers are still trying to put out the flames using tree branches,” Oemar explained. In addition to branches, personnel are using backpack sprayers and creating firebreaks to prevent the flames from spreading to other vegetation. The burned area has increased from a previously reported 7.9 hectares to 10 hectares and is likely to grow further.

As a result of the ongoing fire, the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS) Authority has taken decisive action by closing several official tourist entrances for safety reasons. The three access points closed since Monday evening until an unspecified time are the Jemplang and Coban Trisula gates in Malang Regency, and the Senduro gate in Lumajang Regency. Tourists can still visit Mount Bromo via the Cemoro Lawang entrance in Probolinggo Regency and the Wonokitri entrance in Pasuruan Regency, though access is very limited.