Bromo fire spreads amid strong winds, steep terrain

“The fire started in the Penggol block of Ngadisari Village on Thursday afternoon (Sept 10) and remains unextinguished,” Chief of Probolinggo’s Regional Agency for Disaster Countermeasures (BPBD) Oemar Sjarif said here on Friday.

Joint teams from the national park, disaster mitigation agency, military, police and volunteers have deployed maximum efforts to contain the fire, but difficult terrain remains a challenge.

“The teams face difficulties because the fire is in steep areas that are inaccessible, while strong winds are causing the flames to spread rapidly,” he said.

The teams have therefore created firebreaks in unburned areas to prevent the flames from spreading further, Oemar said.

“Teams are creating firebreaks, but strong winds are allowing the flames to spread through dry grass, so the barriers are intended to contain the fire,” he said.

Related news: Ranu Pani Lake only water source for Mt. Bromo wildfire: BNPB

The operation also involves a water-bombing helicopter operated by East Java’s Regional Agency for Disaster Countermeasures, as some hotspots are on steep slopes, although fog sometimes hampers flights.

“We hope the weather clears so firefighting can be optimized, both manually when the terrain is accessible and by water-bombing helicopters when it is not,” he said.

The fire in the Penggol hills has reportedly spread toward Watangan Valley, commonly known as Teletubbies Hill, prompting teams to step up efforts to contain it.

The Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park authority has also temporarily closed some tourist access to Mount Bromo through the Jemplang entrance in Malang since Thursday (Sept 10) because of the fire.

Related news: Authority closes parts of Bromo tourist area after Pengol Savanna fire

Translator: Zumrotun S, Rahmad Nasution