Bromo Fire Spreads to Jemplang, Malang
Forest and land fires in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS) area are expanding, spreading to the Bromo Hillside restaurant area in Jemplang, Malang Regency, East Java. Dense smoke and the proximity of fire points caused panic among visitors, who were seen fleeing to safety.
The fire, which initially started in the Pengol Savanna, Probolinggo Regency, has continued to spread. Endrip Wahyutama, Public Relations Officer for the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, confirmed that the fire locations captured in recent videos are indeed within the Jemplang area.
Amateur footage taken from the Bromo Hillside cafe/restaurant near Bukit Bantengan shows thick grey smoke rising high into the air and gradually enveloping the cafe area. The footage captures a scene of panic as visitors and restaurant staff scrambled to escape the encroaching smoke.
Sadono Irawan, Head of Emergency and Logistics at the Malang Regency BPBD, stated that as of 04:30 WIB on Sunday (13/9), the fire points were still monitored in the Jemplang area. The fire is located in the Bukit Bantengan area, affecting scrubland vegetation.
Extinguishing efforts are being carried out by a joint task force, including water tankers from the Malang Regency BPBD, East Java Provincial BPBD, Malang Police, fire brigades from both Malang Regency and Malang City, TNBTS, Manggala Agni, as well as portable water tanks provided by local residents. Thanks to these efforts, Sadono added that the fire point behind the Bromo Hillside area had been extinguished by 09:57 WIB, with teams now conducting sweeps to ensure no embers remain.
Future firefighting priorities will focus on the eastern side of Hillside and the surrounding Jemplang area, supported by water supplies for land wetting. The fire has already damaged a water channel belonging to Bromo Hillside; the total affected area is currently being assessed.
Previously, the Mount Bromo tourism area was officially closed to all tourist activities following the outbreak of forest and land fires. The fire, which began on Thursday afternoon (10/9) in the Pengol Savanna, Ngadas Village, had spread to Bukit Teletubbies and Gunung Kursi by Saturday (12/9).
The Head of TNBTS, Rudijanta Tjahja Nugraha, announced that the closure is effective from Saturday (12/9) until further notice, based on the development of the fire conditions, the progress of firefighting operations, and the overall safety of the area.