Forest Fire in Mount Rinjani National Park Contained, 30 Hectares Affected
A forest and land fire (karhutla) in the Sembalun Resort area of Mount Rinjani National Park, West Nusa Tenggara, was successfully contained by the Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) through the Mount Rinjani National Park Office (TNGR) and related parties.
Head of the Mount Rinjani National Park Office, Budhy Kurniawan, stated that on Saturday, 8 August 2026, at approximately 01:30 WITA, the fire was brought under control. This was achieved after an inspection of the handling area found no active hotspots, and officers then carried out mopping-up operations, sweeping and extinguishing remaining material that still had the potential to reignite.
“Handling forest and land fires requires a rapid response and collaborative work. We appreciate the support of all parties who moved together in the field. After the fire was successfully contained, monitoring and mopping-up are still being carried out to ensure no embers or hotspots reignite,” he said, as quoted on Sunday, 9 August 2026.
He explained that the fire was first reported by the public on Friday, 7 August 2026, at around 16:48 WITA. Following up on the report, Sembalun Resort officers together with SKMA internship students immediately conducted a field check and found three active hotspots in the Maletan area.
The team then consolidated and prepared control and extinguishing equipment. In the initial handling, around 22 personnel consisting of TNGR officers, Forest Police Partner Communities, local residents, SKMA internship students, Sembalun Police, Sembalun Military Command, and the East Lombok Regency Fire Department were involved in the extinguishing efforts.
The main priority in every extinguishing operation is the safety and health of personnel (K3). Because field conditions and the fire’s development were still quite dynamic, the team at 19:00 WITA decided to return to the post in accordance with the safety SOP for firefighting personnel.
Based on initial observations, the affected area is estimated to be around 30 hectares, although this figure is still in the process of confirmation. The burned vegetation was dominated by shrubs, bushes, and lianas.
Monitoring of the fire’s development was then carried out using a drone. On Friday night, extinguishing efforts were also reinforced by the East Lombok Regency Fire Department, Sembalun Police, and Sembalun Military Command using fire engines.
Handling continued on Saturday, 8 August 2026, at around 00:15 WITA. The joint team led by the East Lombok Police Chief together with the Head of SPTN Region II moved to the fire location in Dalem Petung. A total of 35 personnel were involved in the follow-up operation, consisting of TNGR Office officers, East Lombok Police, Sembalun Police, the Mataram Section III Forest and Land Fire Control Office, and SKMA internship students.