Bromo Land Fire Reaches 520 Hectares, Three Helicopters Deployed

Firefighters are still working to extinguish a blaze in the Mount Bromo area, which has now spread to around 520 hectares. Three water-bombing helicopters have been deployed to the location to assist with the firefighting effort. As of Sunday morning (9/8/2026), several hotspots were still observed around P30, Sumber District, Probolinggo Regency, and the Penanjakan Satu area. Officials estimate the burned area has reached approximately 520 hectares. The fire has consumed land dominated by dry mountain grasses, various vegetation, and edelweiss flowers. East Java Vice Governor Emil Elestianto Dardak led a coordination meeting with stakeholders on Sunday morning to devise a strategy to prevent the fire from spreading further. Firefighting is being conducted through two schemes: ground and air operations. From the air, three water-bombing helicopters have been deployed to douse the hotspots. On the ground, personnel have deployed seven fire engines, three drone water sprayers, and hundreds of joint personnel from various agencies. Emil stated that strong winds are one of the obstacles in the firefighting process. Additionally, personnel are facing a shortage of manual equipment to handle the remaining hotspots and embers. “Our current obstacle is indeed the limitation of manual tools. There are still hotspots left, and these small fires must be tackled manually. The larger ones are handled by helicopters,” Emil said on Sunday.