Bromo Forest Fire Spreads to Probolinggo, 7.9 Hectares Burned

The Head of the Probolinggo Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Oemar Sjarief, said the forest and land fires on Mount Bromo have spread from Bantengan Block in Lumajang Regency to the Watu Gede area in Probolinggo Regency, covering an area of up to 7.9 hectares.

“Personnel from Probolinggo Regency BPBD are extinguishing fires in the Mount Bromo area, from Bantengan Block to Pusung Jantur. The fire has entered the administrative area of Sariwani Village, Sukapura District, Probolinggo Regency,” he said when contacted by mobile phone in Probolinggo on Tuesday (4/8).

Personnel from the Probolinggo Regency BPBD Rapid Response Team, together with East Java BPBD, Perhutani, the Indonesian military and police, the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS) Authority, the East Java Disaster Management Agency and volunteers joined forces to extinguish the forest fires in the Mount Bromo tourist area.

“The fire is still burning and creeping eastward. The burned area is estimated to have reached 7.9 hectares, but it could increase because the fire points have not been 100 per cent extinguished,” he said.

He said officers were fighting the fire on Mount Bromo using whatever equipment was available, namely the gepyok method (beating out flames with branches) and backpack sprayers, but they faced difficulties because the terrain is quite steep and the wind is fairly strong.

“The joint team continues to monitor, build firebreaks to stop the fire from spreading, and prepare equipment for fire prevention efforts in the TNBTS area so that it does not spread further,” he said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the fire points heading towards Probolinggo had been extinguished, but officers remained on standby to anticipate the reappearance of fire points due to strong winds.

As a result of the fires, the TNBTS Authority has closed part of the tourist access to Mount Bromo from the Jemplang and Coban Trisula entrances in Malang Regency, as well as Senduro in Lumajang Regency, to maximise firefighting efforts and ensure the safety of all visitors.

The closure of the three access routes has been in effect since Monday (3/8) at 22.00 WIB until an undetermined time, but visitors can still reach Mount Bromo via the Cemoro Lawang entrance in Probolinggo Regency and Wonokitri in Pasuruan Regency.

Tourists may only access the Sea of Sand area and are not permitted to move into the savanna region, as it is dangerous due to the forest fires.