Crews battle forest and land fires on Mount Semeru across seven locations
Firefighters are still battling to control forest and land fires on Mount Semeru that have spread to seven locations within the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in Lumajang Regency, East Java, on Saturday.
“The fire spots are in Ledok Bedor, Jantur Block, Ranukembang Block, the Ayak-ayak area, Watu Rejeng, Ranu Kumbolo, and Trisula Peak,” said Yudhi Cahyono, Head of the Emergency and Logistics Division at the Lumajang Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency.
According to him, disaster agency personnel together with a joint team are extinguishing several fire spots under the coordination of the national park authority in the forest areas of Argosari Village and Ranupani Village, Senduro District.
“To strengthen the firefighting effort, two helicopters provided by the East Java disaster mitigation agency have been deployed to carry out water bombing at several fire spots that are difficult to reach by land,” he said.
A team from the Lumajang disaster mitigation agency using two trail motorcycles has also headed to the Ranu Kumbolo hiking route to sweep for fire spots and monitor the movement of the PK-DAP water bombing helicopter.
The two helicopters were directed to the Ayak-Ayak Block and Bangunan Cilik areas in Ranupani Village, Senduro District. Aerial firefighting is being carried out simultaneously with ground operations by personnel in the field.
Meanwhile, Agus Kusuma Negara, Head of the National Park Region III Section, said two landscapes have experienced massive fires at several points, and the terrain conditions are one of the considerations for using aerial firefighting support.
“One is in Ayak-Ayak, and the second is in Bangunan Cilik. The effort is being carried out in collaboration with water bombing assistance from the East Java disaster mitigation agency,” he said.
Aerial firefighting serves as a complement to ground operations, and personnel continue to carry out manual firefighting, including creating firebreaks and using available equipment to control fire spots that can be reached.
This approach is important because the hilly character of the area and the presence of fire spots in hard-to-reach locations mean that handling requires a combination of methods, so aerial firefighting is expected to help reach areas that are not easily accessible to personnel.
Based on preliminary data from national park personnel, the area affected by the fire is estimated to reach around 160 hectares, with dry vegetation being one of the types of plants burned.
The operation involves national park personnel, the Lumajang disaster mitigation agency, volunteers, local communities, and support from the East Java disaster mitigation agency through the deployment of water bombing helicopters, so that collaboration is carried out to ensure aerial and ground firefighting can proceed in an integrated manner.