Forest Fires Engulf Five Mountains in East Java, 1,488 Hectares Scorched

Forest and land fires surrounding mountainous areas in East Java are spreading and becoming increasingly alarming. Five mountains are recorded as experiencing major fires simultaneously, with the total affected area reaching 1,488 hectares.

The Head of Emergency and Logistics at the East Java Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Satriyo Nurseno, detailed that the hotspots are spread across Mount Kawinajang, Argopuro, Bromo, Semeru and, most recently, have spread to the Mount Lawu area.

The worst fires are currently hitting the Mount Kawinajang area in Blitar Regency and the Buthak Mountain savannah in Malang Regency. The extent of burnt ecosystem in these areas is estimated to have reached 800 hectares, a figure predicted to keep growing.

Hotspots are still observed burning on the southern side of Mount Kawinajang. According to Satriyo, aerial operations to extinguish the fire on the Kawinajang slopes were temporarily halted due to bad weather threatening safety.

“Water bombing could not be carried out this afternoon and evening because of strong winds and thick smoke plumes, which disrupted visibility and operational flight safety,” said Satriyo on Tuesday (15/9).

Instead, joint personnel are now focused on manual firefighting in slope areas still reachable by ground teams.

Meanwhile, fires have consumed 488 hectares of land in the Mount Argopuro area, specifically around Mount Gilap in Suci Village. Steep terrain is the main obstacle, as ground firefighting teams cannot reach the hotspots directly to carry out firebreak operations.

A joint team from the Jember Regency Natural Resources Conservation Centre is currently attempting to create firebreaks on Mount Gilap and douse the embers.

However, Satriyo said the teams’ efforts have been somewhat helped by light rain falling around the Lumut Forest area during sweeping operations.

“There are still remnants of fire in several locations. The burnt vegetation consists of mountain cypress and scrub bushland. A number of trees have fallen due to burning, and some are still emitting smoke,” he said.

Meanwhile, in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS) area, around 200 hectares of land on Mount Bromo, covering Ngadas, Watu Gede and Jemplang villages, have been reported burnt.

Thick fog blanketing the area has complicated visual monitoring. Even so, ground teams continue sweeping using jet shooter and alkon firefighting equipment, while keeping a fleet of water tanker trucks on standby.

To reach difficult spots, BPBD East Java has taken the tactical step of deploying unmanned aircraft technology.

“Based on the results of the joint team’s sweep, no hotspots were found visually, but smoke plumes are still visible. BPBD East Java is deploying drone water spray to accelerate the extinguishing of the fire in the Mount Bromo area,” said Satriyo.

Still within the TNBTS area, fires are reported to be burning on Mount Semeru, specifically in the Metigi Renteng Block, Argosari Village, Lumajang Regency. Unlike the foggy conditions at Bromo, the weather on Semeru is observed to be bright and cloudy.

Satriyo stressed that the extent of the impact on Semeru is still being recorded. Joint firefighting teams continue efforts to suppress the fire’s movement through manual firefighting using gepyok tools.

Amid the intense efforts to extinguish the fires on the four mountains, BPBD East Java received a report of a new incident on Mount Lawu on Monday morning (14/9) at around 09:00 WIB. The fire occurred on the border between Jabung Village in Magetan Regency and Karangrejo Village in Ngawi Regency.

“A forest fire has occurred on Mount Lawu in Compartments 50 and 44 of the Jabung Forest Management Unit. There are currently still hotspots around the location,” he said.

As of the publication of this report, East Java Provincial BPBD personnel, together with regional BPBD teams, are conducting assessments and coordinating with local village officials on the Lawu slopes.

“There are no casualties; the impact is still being recorded,” he said.