Central Java Governor: Only One Fire Hotspot Remains on Mount Lawu

Karanganyar (ANTARA) – Central Java Governor Ahmad Luthfi said that only one hotspot remained in the forest and land fires on Mount Lawu, above Gondosuli Village in Tawangmangu district, Karanganyar regency.

“I have coordinated with the regent and the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD). The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) helicopter at Adi Soemarmo Air Force Base will be deployed for one more sortie. This hotspot is important for us to assess so that no others emerge,” he said in Karanganyar on Monday. He was speaking during a visit and a meeting with volunteers, the Karanganyar Regent and the regency’s BPBD at the Sakura Hills post in Tawangmangu.

Although only one hotspot remained, he said, officers and volunteer teams had been asked to stay at their respective posts to assess the situation and conduct a comprehensive sweep.

He said the fires on Mount Lawu were being handled jointly by the provincial and Karanganyar regency BPBDs, the Indonesian Military (TNI), the National Police, BNPB and volunteers.

Ahmad called for more intensive prevention efforts, including public appeals, stern warnings and outreach to local residents. They should be told not to start fires carelessly in forests, discard cigarette ends or burn rubbish indiscriminately.

As part of efforts to prevent further fires on Mount Lawu, he said, water reservoirs should be planned so they could be used in emergencies such as fires. He had asked the Central Java and Karanganyar public works departments, as well as state forestry company Perhutani, to design them.

“Community involvement is paramount, because local people have local wisdom that can help protect the area,” he said.

Luthfi said the police were still investigating the cause of the fires.

Meanwhile, Karanganyar BPBD operational head Sugiharto said the Mount Lawu forest fire had been extinguished as of Sunday (25 October). However, a fresh hotspot was detected above Gondosuli on Monday morning, and water bombing would be deployed depending on the latest weather conditions on the mountain.

In total, water bombing had been carried out 34 times to tackle the fires on Lawu. Each drop released 2,000 litres of water, bringing the total amount used to 68,000 litres.

Some parts of Mount Lawu have soil covered by layers of dry grass, in places up to 30 centimetres deep, resembling peatland and requiring special treatment.