Fire at Mount Ciremai Not Yet Fully Extinguished; Crews on Standby Until Nightfall
Joint personnel have succeeded in extinguishing some of the fires in Mount Ciremai National Park (TNGC). Firebreaks have also been constructed along the edge of the fire to prevent it spreading into areas of dense vegetation.
The joint response involves around 100 people from the Kuningan Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the West Java BPBD, the Mount Ciremai National Park Office (BTNGC), the Fire-Aware Community, the Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police (Polri), the municipal public order agency, the Kuningan Regency Fire Service, volunteer nature groups and local residents.
West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi (KDM) monitored the fire and took part in firefighting at Mount Ciremai National Park on Thursday (22 October).
KDM called on community groups and villagers to work together to build firebreaks to stop the blaze spreading. Anyone involved in this work will be paid Rp250,000 a day.
KDM also said he would coordinate with the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) on creating artificial rain over the national park. Aerial water-bombing will also be used to tackle the fire.
“I have spoken with the Deputy Defence Minister and the Indonesian Air Force leadership; a helicopter will soon be deployed to fight the fire through water-bombing,” he said in a written statement on Friday (23 October 2026).
West Java BPBD chief Teten Ali said the movement of fire hotspots and wind direction were being monitored continuously from the field command post. Joint personnel were also conducting mop-up operations and extinguishing residual embers and smoke to prevent reignition.
“We are keeping personnel on standby at vulnerable points along the firebreak boundaries until nightfall,” Teten said.
Drinking water, food and personal protective equipment—including masks, goggles and helmets—have been provided to protect the joint teams working in the field.
The response also includes regular coordination with the Kuningan Regency Government, the Mount Ciremai National Park Office and other relevant stakeholders.
Teten said steep, hilly and rocky terrain was making it difficult for firefighting vehicles to reach the area and for personnel to move around. Shifting strong winds were causing new spot fires, while the distance to water sources was also hampering firefighting efforts.
The area burned in Mount Ciremai National Park is still being assessed. The fire broke out in the Sipenpen Batu Arca block, Area I Kuningan, at an elevation of about 1,000 metres above sea level. Vegetation affected includes scrub, alang-alang grass, dry leaf litter and standing pine trees.