Bromo Wildfire Expands to 80 Hectares, Access Restricted

A forest and land fire in the Mount Bromo area has continued to spread, with the affected area now reaching 80 hectares. The East Java Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) confirmed that a fire hotspot first appeared in Watugede, Lumajang Regency, before spreading to surrounding areas.

“The fire keeps moving, and as of today, 80 hectares of land have been burnt. Today there are hotspots around Watugede and the Sea of Sand area,” said Gatot Soebroto, Head of BPBD East Java, on Wednesday.

Gatot stated that joint teams have been deployed to tackle the blaze in both the Sea of Sand and Watugede areas. “Today, firefighting efforts were carried out together with all relevant agencies and volunteers. By this afternoon, two hotspots in the Sea of Sand area and one above Watugede were being addressed,” he said.

However, the firefighting operation is being hindered by difficult terrain. The hotspots are located on the slopes of the Bromo Caldera, which features steep contours and strong winds. “We know the terrain near the Bromo Caldera is steep, making it difficult for teams to extinguish the fire,” he noted.

In addition to manual firefighting methods, joint officers are operating a water-spraying drone to tackle flames at the bottom of cliffs and accelerate the suppression process. The use of this unmanned aerial vehicle is specifically aimed at sweeping and extinguishing hidden embers in hard-to-reach locations. “This drone, with a capacity of 150 litres, is used specifically to target points that still have the potential for embers,” Gatot explained.

Gatot added that the wildfire has damaged natural vegetation and forced the closure of tourist access from several regions. Due to the expanding fire, the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park Authority has temporarily restricted access to the Mount Bromo area for public safety. “We hope that with support from the National Disaster Management Agency, the firefighting process can be accelerated. As of today, access to Bromo from Lumajang and Malang is closed to visitors,” he said.