Fire at Mount Ciremai Brought Under Control, Cooling Operations Continue
KUNINGAN — The forest and land fire in Mount Ciremai National Park (TNGC), Kuningan Regency, West Java, is beginning to come under control after burning since Wednesday (21 October 2026). Although satellite monitoring has stopped detecting hotspots, more than 300 joint personnel are continuing cooling operations and patrols to prevent the fire from breaking out again.
Indra Bayu Permana, head of the Kuningan Regency Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), said that the latest satellite monitoring update, at 6.30 pm local time on Saturday (24 October 2026), found no hotspots in the affected area. However, smoke was still visible in several locations, so firefighting operations had not been halted.
“Thankfully, we have deployed more than 300 personnel to three locations: Bintangot, Karang Dinding and Bukit Seribu Bintang. Following patrols and firefighting efforts, the Cipomi satellite monitoring update at around 6.30 pm found no remaining hotspots,” Indra said on Saturday evening.
Joint personnel have been deployed to the three locations that were previously the focus of the response: Bintangot, Karang Dinding and Bukit Seribu Bintang. Patrols are being conducted to ensure no embers remain that could trigger further fires.
Karang Dinding and Bukit Seribu Bintang remain the focus of cooling operations, as smoke has been observed in several areas. This indicates that the risk of fire has not entirely passed, even though satellites are no longer detecting hotspots.
Crews are also containing the affected areas to prevent the fire from spreading again. Response efforts are continuing with joint personnel, local residents and volunteers.
Indra said firefighting and cooling operations would continue around the clock until all remaining embers had been dealt with. The command post is also continuing operations to monitor personnel movements, vehicle deployments and logistical requirements for crews in the field.
“We will, God willing, continue this response 24 hours a day until it is complete, including ensuring that the remaining smoke has fully cleared. The command post remains on full alert to monitor our colleagues’ movements and meet personnel and logistical needs,” Indra said.
The fire in the TNGC area was first detected at around 8.44 pm on Wednesday (21 October 2026). It began in Area I of Mount Ciremai National Park, Kuningan Regency, and then spread through flammable vegetation.
The burned materials included scrub, alang-alang grass, dry leaf litter and pine trees. This vegetation posed a challenge for crews because the fire could spread through dry material on the ground.
Since the fire was detected, joint personnel, residents and volunteers have tackled it from the ground. West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi also went to the affected area to lead the response.
The operation was also carried out from the air, using an Indonesian Air Force helicopter to conduct water-bombing. Aerial water drops helped crews reach fire sites that were difficult for ground teams to access.
Although no hotspots are being detected, crews are continuing to monitor the area to ensure the fire is fully extinguished. Cooling is an important stage before the wildfire response in the Mount Ciremai area can be declared complete.