Forest on Mount Merapi Slopes Burns, Suspected Due to Eruption

A forest fire struck the slopes of Mount Merapi on Friday night, with the flames suspected to have originated from the volcano’s eruptive activity. The fire was shared on Instagram by user @febri.vpv, showing flames burning in the forested area on the western slope of Mount Merapi at Cenggerpas. Head of the Mount Merapi National Park Office, Tutut Heri Wibowo, confirmed the incident, stating that the fire was still visible into Saturday morning. Based on video monitoring, the fire occurred at the Jurangjero point and has since been brought under control. Head of the Yogyakarta Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development Centre, Agus Budi Santoso, said the fire burned vegetation over an area of approximately 100 square metres but did not spread and was able to extinguish itself. He confirmed there was no impact on residents or settlements, and Mount Merapi remains at Alert Level III.