East Java BPBD: Water Bombing of Bromo Fire Hindered by Weather

Malang, East Java (ANTARA) - The East Java Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) has stated that extinguishing the fire at Mount Bromo via helicopter water bombing cannot be carried out for the time being due to weather constraints. Consequently, firefighting efforts are being fully maximised through ground operations by joint teams.

“In truth, we are ready to perform water bombing, but the weather is not supportive; strong winds are ultimately hindering the helicopter during ascent,” said Satriyo Nursontoro, Head of the Emergency and Logistics Division of the Malang Regency BPBD, when met in Jemplang, Malang Regency, East Java, on Sunday.

The weather conditions have made the agency unwilling to take the risk of conducting aerial firefighting operations to anticipate potential turbulence that could threaten the safety of the helicopter crew.

Therefore, efforts to extinguish the fire and dampen the affected areas are being conducted by ground personnel, optimising the facilities and infrastructure available in the field.

“Our focus is on ensuring the fire does not spread to residential settlements,” he added.

The strong winds in Bromo are suspected to be the trigger for the expansion of fire spots from the direction of Sabana Pengol, Probolinggo Regency, towards Jemplang in Malang, on Saturday (12/9) at approximately 16:20 WIB.

Meanwhile, the initial fire incident first appeared in Sabana Pengol on Thursday (10/9).

He stated that water bombing operations had taken place over the last two days, specifically on Friday (11/9) and yesterday.

“In the last two days, we dropped 17,000 litres on Friday, 15,000 litres yesterday, and zero today,” he said.

The firefighting efforts in the Mount Bromo area, spanning from Sabana Pengol to Jemplang, involve hundreds of joint personnel, including members from the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, the East Java BPBD, Malang Regency BPBD, Probolinggo Regency BPBD, the Police, the TNI (Indonesian National Armed Forces), and volunteers.

Observations from Bromo show that joint officers are still busy extinguishing plumes of smoke emerging from grassy areas below the Jemplang area, heading towards Mount Bromo.

A significant amount of vegetation has already turned deep black up to the upper edges of the cliffs after being impacted by the fire on Saturday (12/9) afternoon.

Several joint officers also remain on standby, monitoring the developing conditions in the Bromo area from the Jemplang area.