East Java Forest Fires Subside, Hotspots Remain at the Foot of Mount Ijen

Forest and land fires (karhutla) in several mountainous regions of East Java are slowly beginning to subside. Currently, joint teams are focusing firefighting operations on hotspots at the foot of Mount Ijen, specifically in Kawah Ilalang, Kalianyar Village, Ijen District, Bondowoso Regency.

The Head of the East Java Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Gatot Soebroto, stated that the most recent blaze in the Mount Bancak area, Magetan Regency, which had burnt five hectares of land, has been fully extinguished.

“The joint firefighting team successfully completed the suppression at Mount Bancak at 10:20 WIB. Currently, no hotspots or smoke plumes are being monitored,” said Gatot on Tuesday (29/9).

All available joint team resources have now been shifted to tame the flames in Kawah Ilalang, Kalianyar Village, Ijen District, Bondowoso Regency. This area is situated at the foot of Mount Ijen.

The fire, which has been occurring since Sunday (27/9), is suspected to have originated from farmland commonly used by local residents. The fire spread rapidly due to dry vegetation conditions combined with strong winds in the area.

“In Bondowoso, the total area affected by the fire is estimated to reach approximately 200 hectares,” Gatot added.

Extinguishing efforts are currently targeting the remaining hotspots in the Petak 87A-B and C-88 areas of Curah Macan Hamlet, Kalianyar Village.

Joint officers, comprising members from BPBD, Perhutani, and the Ijen Crater BKSDA (Natural Resources Conservation Agency), continue to struggle to reach locations that can still be extinguished manually.

Nevertheless, the suppression efforts in Bondowoso are not easy. Officers must contend with steep terrain and strong winds that could trigger new hotspots at any time.

“BPBD East Java continues to station personnel in high-risk locations and is coordinating intensively with local governments to monitor the movement of the fire,” he concluded.