Forest and Land Fires Continue to Rage Across Four Mountains in East Java
Forest and land fires in several mountain areas of East Java were still burning on Monday (19 October). Flames were reported at Mount Bromo, Mount Sigiran, Mount Arjuno-Welirang or Ringgit, and in the mountain region of Situbondo.
Satriyo Nurseno, head of emergency and logistics at the East Java Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), said the fire in the Mount Bromo area of Probolinggo Regency, which started at Bukit Kembang on Thursday (15 October), had so far burned 75.37 hectares.
Satriyo said the joint response team was concentrating on stopping the fire from spreading, as strong gusts were pushing the flames onwards.
“There is still smoke and a sizeable fire. The main obstacle in the field is the strong wind, which is causing the fire to spread quickly. The joint team will continue firefighting efforts in the Bromo area,” Satriyo said.
The fire in the Bromo area, part of Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS), had previously killed four members of the joint response team and left two others seriously injured.
“The area burned is 75.37 hectares,” he said.
Satriyo added that forest and land fires had also affected Mount Sigiran in Mojokerto Regency. A fire that appeared above Surga Cendono last week was still visible.
He said the extreme mountain terrain was making it difficult for firefighters to reach the source of the blaze, so they had to focus on preventing it from spreading into lower areas.
“We cannot tackle the fire manually because the hotspots are difficult to reach and the terrain is steep. The joint team will continue manual firefighting in areas accessible by land and will create firebreaks,” Satriyo said.
The team fighting the fire in the Arjuno-Welirang area, specifically at Mount Ringgit in Pasuruan, faced similar conditions.
The fire, detected on Friday (16 October), had left several hotspots. Hundreds of personnel from the BPBD, the Taman Hutan Raya (Tahura) authority, Perhutani and community groups remained on standby to contain its spread.
“Hotspots and active fires are still being detected in the Mount Ringgit area. Today, the joint team will continue its response at the site, carrying out manual firefighting and creating firebreaks in accessible areas,” Satriyo said.
Meanwhile, Satriyo said three fires had also been detected in the Tamankursi area of Situbondo, with some spreading into Probolinggo and Jember.
“East Java Provincial BPBD personnel and the Situbondo Regency BPBD team are assessing the situation and co-ordinating with the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA). The joint team is continuing to monitor the fires from a distance,” Satriyo said.