Khofifah: Joint team able to localise Bromo fire hotspots

Malang, East Java (ANTARA) - East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa has stated that efforts to handle the forest and land fires (karhutla) on Mount Bromo are proceeding optimally, with the joint team successfully localising the hotspots. “I updated last night, the Head of BNPB wants to maximise efforts, and hopefully it can be completed today. The hotspots have been relatively localised,” Khofifah said when met at the Pendopo Agung Kabupaten Malang in Malang City, East Java, on Wednesday. She noted that hotspots were still appearing on the Pasuruan Regency side of Mount Bromo. Khofifah said that comprehensive firefighting efforts are being accelerated, relying on water bombing helicopters from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). “There are two helicopters assisting from BNPB, one with a 1,000-litre capacity and the Puma with a 4,000-litre capacity. There is also assistance from Abdulrachman Saleh Air Force Base, and the provincial government has also brought in a helicopter from Central Java, which we have chartered,” she said. She added that the handling process at Bromo has faced challenges due to natural factors such as strong winds and fog. These conditions affected the operation of the water bombing helicopters in extinguishing the fires. “In the end, two helicopters were grounded, so to speak, at Ranu Pani, but they resumed operations this morning. BNPB hopes to complete the task as quickly as possible so the assistance helicopters can be deployed to help in other provinces,” she said. The Governor also expressed her appreciation for the efforts of all joint personnel in accelerating the handling of the forest and land fires affecting Mount Bromo. “The only remaining active fire point is in the Dingklik area, Tosari District, Pasuruan Regency,” said Wahyu, who is also the Commander of the 083/Baladhika Jaya Military Resort Command. The fire point is located in a cliff area with steep terrain, making manual firefighting via land routes difficult. Therefore, aerial firefighting is being heavily relied upon in the handling process. Meanwhile, ground crews continue to work on cooling, monitoring, and extinguishing small fire spots.