Bromo forest fire operation in TNBTS completed, command post officially closed
The forest and land fire operation at Mount Bromo in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS) area has been declared complete as the fires have been extinguished, and the forest fire handling post was officially closed on Tuesday.
“Today we officially close the emergency disaster handling post for forest and land fires in the TNBTS area,” said Colonel Inf Wahyu Ramadhanus Suryawan, Commander of Korem 083 Baladhika Jaya, during a press conference held at the Emergency Disaster Handling Post in Probolinggo.
According to him, the results of the forest fire handling operation in the TNBTS area proceeded safely, smoothly and under control thanks to cross-sectoral cooperation and coordination with various parties.
Cooperation was carried out with the TNI-Polri, the East Java Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD Jatim) and the BPBD of four regencies affected by the forest fires, TNBTS, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), volunteers, the community, and the media, which provided accurate information to prevent disinformation among the public regarding the forest fires.
He explained that the area affected by the TNBTS forest fires reached 1,121.66 hectares, with handling carried out from 3 to 17 August 2026.
He explained that forest fire handling requires collaboration and synergy from many parties so that control can be carried out as effectively as possible.
Evaluation and anticipatory measures currently need to be carried out with an early detection system so that hotspots can be detected quickly.
“Early detection does not only involve patrols, but must use technological equipment such as CCTV, drone cameras and aerial photography, making it easier to detect hotspots early,” he said.
He also urged local communities and tourists to comply with established regulations and not trigger new hotspots, as the likelihood of fire triggers originating from natural factors is very small.
Meanwhile, Head of the Emergency and Logistics Division of BPBD Jatim, Satriyo Nurseno, said that his party has prepared a post-operational handling scheme for the post.
Of the three firefighting helicopters deployed, two units have been withdrawn, while one helicopter unit remains on standby to complete extinguishing efforts in the slope areas of Mount Bromo.
“One unit will continue to carry out wetting operations over the next one to two days for prevention in slope areas and certain areas within the TNBTS area,” he said.
Satriyo explained that the East Java Provincial Government is focusing on strengthening standard operating procedures (SOPs) and handling infrastructure. Ecosystem recovery measures will also be carried out.