Mountains in Java Hit by Forest and Land Fires This Week

Several mountains across Java have been hit by forest and land fires this week. Some were still being tackled as of Friday (23 October), from Mount Ciremai, the highest mountain in West Java, to Mount Arjuno in East Java.

In addition to Mount Ciremai and Mount Arjuno, several other mountains on Java have also been affected. They are:

Mount Ciremai

The fire on Mount Ciremai, West Java, was first detected at around 8.44pm on Wednesday (21 October).

Citing detikJabar, Asep, public relations officer for the Silihwangi Majakuning Fire Awareness Community (MPA), said the fire began in a forest area bordering Seda village. By dawn, however, it had spread to other areas.

“The fire is still not under control and remains large, moving westwards and uphill towards the wilderness zone. They said it started in Seda; since 4am it has reached the Yanggo Block in Cibuntu village,” Asep said on Thursday (22 October).

Firefighting operations were still under way on Friday (23 October). According to Antara, the Kuningan Regency Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) had prepared a water-bombing operation to assist with the response.

On the ground, a joint team comprising military and police personnel, volunteers, firefighters and BPBD staff was also helping to put out the fire.

The teams were assigned according to the fire’s coordinates, including Bintangot Block, Panyusupan, Batu Arca, Karang Dinding and the Bukit 1,000 Bintang area. Ground operations faced several challenges.

“As well as the steep terrain, changes in wind direction and speed are affecting firefighting strategies and the creation of firebreaks to stop the flames spreading,” Kuningan BPBD chief executive Indra Bayu said on Friday (23 October).

Mount Lawu

Forest and land fires have also affected the slopes of Mount Lawu in Central Java since Thursday (15 October).

The fires initially broke out in plots 28, 32 and 62c in Gondosuli village. By Wednesday (21 October), however, the flames had reportedly spread to Ngargoyoso district and the Hargo Dalem summit area.

Citing detikJateng, Central Java BPBD acting chief Bergas Catursasi Penanggungan said the fires on Mount Lawu had affected 490 hectares. He suspected they had been caused by human activity.

“There are indications of charcoal-making activity on Mount Lawu. The volunteers up there are best placed to know the location, as they were the ones who found it,” Bergas said on Thursday (22 October).

The fire response on Mount Lawu has now been designated an emergency response.

Mount Sumbing

Forest and land fires were still affecting the Mount Sumbing area in Central Java on Friday (23 October) morning.

As of Friday (23 October), flames were still burning in plot 20-1 in Temanggung Regency and plot 23 in Wonosobo Regency, according to Kedu Utara Forest Management Unit (KPH) official Dimyati, as reported by Antara Jateng.

The area affected on Mount Sumbing had reached 779.4 hectares. The worst-affected areas included savannah, land covered with mountain kemlandingan trees and mixed woodland.

Officials continue to monitor the fire, while suppression efforts have been hampered by weather and wind.

“Strong winds are making the fire spread quickly, and the firefighting efforts have not been able to keep pace with its spread,” Kedu said.

Mount Arjuno-Welirang

The fire in the Mount Arjuno-Welirang area of East Java was first detected on Thursday (15 October).

“The fire started in Pasuruan and spread, with some of it entering Malang Regency and Batu city,” said Agustiningtyas Marini, head of the Raden Soerjo Grand Forest Park Technical Management Unit, on Tuesday (20 October), as quoted by Antara.

The fire was also reported to have begun entering Mojokerto Regency.

According to an East Java BPBD report on Wednesday (21 October), the fire was still burning in the area. By then, it had affected 736.8 hectares.

Satriyo Nurseno, head of emergency and logistics at the East Java BPBD, said around 64 joint-team personnel had been deployed on foot.

“The fire is often located at high elevations or along mountain ridges that vehicles cannot reach. The joint team has to hike, and firefighting can only be carried out manually,” Satriyo said on Wednesday (21 October).

Mount Bromo

Flames in the Mount Bromo area of East Java had not been fully extinguished as of Sunday (18 October). The fire first broke out near Bukit Kembang, in Pucuk Sari village, Lumbang district, Probolinggo, on Thursday (15 October), and then spread to other areas.

The Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park Agency (BB TNBTS) temporarily restricted tourist access to the area on Saturday (17 October). However, access to the Penanjakan area was reopened at 1am on Friday (23 October), after no active fire points were observed there.

Despite the fire in the Bromo area being extinguished, the incident has claimed lives. Six members of the joint response team have died while tackling the blaze.

The latest victim was Suraji, 40, a security guard at a local hotel who joined the firefighting effort as a volunteer. He died at noon on Friday (23 October) after receiving intensive care.

The other five people who died while trying to put out the fire were BB TNBTS staff members Sukaris, 55, and Hendra Rony Wagiyanata, 33; local hotel employees Wisnu Yuda Pratama, 25, and Sefriel Ardiansyah, 19; and Munawi, 44, a member of the Forest Ranger Partner Community (MMP).