Forest Fires Encircle Four Mountains in East Java: Bromo, Semeru, Argopuro, and Butak

Forest and land fires (karhutla) are simultaneously hitting four mountainous regions in East Java. As of Monday (14/9), the East Java Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) continues to conduct firefighting operations via both land and air routes across the Bromo, Semeru, Argopuro, and Kawinajang (or Butak) mountain areas.

The Head of Emergency and Logistics at BPBD East Java, Satriyo Nurseno, stated that joint teams have been deployed to various points to focus on extinguishing the fires and preventing the flames from spreading further into residential areas or hiking trails.

“The PK-DAP helicopter has conducted water bombing operations in the Mount Buthak or Kawinajang area where hotspots were identified. The bucket capacity used is 1,000 litres,” Satriyo said in his report on Monday (14/9).

Aerial firefighting efforts were necessitated by the difficult terrain and local weather conditions. Strong winds and thick smoke in the Mount Kawinajang and Mount Buthak areas have occasionally disrupted the water bombing operations.

Meanwhile, efforts to manage the Mount Bromo area, which has been burning since Thursday (10/9), are ongoing. Ground teams are patrolling Bromo Hills Jemplang using jet shooter equipment and deploying trucks equipped with water tanks. In contrast to Bromo, the situation at Mount Semeru is reported to be under control.

“Currently, there are no active hotspots in the Semeru area; only residual embers from dry tree stumps remain. The joint team is focusing firefighting efforts in Setigirenteng, Argosari Village, Senduro District,” said Satriyo.

The greatest challenge is being faced by the joint firefighting teams in the Mount Argopuro area, Jember Regency. Heavy cloud cover and extremely extreme terrain have made the burning mountain slopes inaccessible to officers.

“The steep terrain has prevented ground teams from carrying out firefighting operations. The team is currently wetting the embers and creating firebreaks on Mount Gilap,” he added.

To date, Satriyo confirmed that the BPBD ensures there have been no casualties in the fires across the four mountains. The agency is still conducting data collection to calculate the total area of ecosystem damage affected.

“There are no casualties, and the impact is still being assessed,” he concluded.