Three Firefighters Die While Tackling Wildfire on Mount Bromo
A tragic incident occurred during efforts to extinguish a forest and land fire in the Mount Bromo area, specifically in Mentigen, Cemorolawang, Probolinggo Regency, East Java.
Three people were reported dead and three others suffered serious burns on Thursday (15 October).
The sequence of events began when the area’s management received a report of a fire breaking out in the morning. In response, a joint team of personnel was deployed to contain the flames and prevent them from spreading further and damaging the conservation area.
“There was already information about the fire this morning. That is why the people who are now among the victims went to the scene,” said Endrip Wahyutama, public relations officer at the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park Agency (TNBTS), when contacted by reporters.
After firefighting operations began amid smoke and flames, the team at the scene found that several of their colleagues had become victims.
The three people who died were identified as Sukris, 55, an employee of the TNBTS agency, and two security guards at the Artotel hotel, named Wisnu and Sefril.
“They were found dead at around 1.30pm Western Indonesian Time,” he said.
The fire was known to be close to the Artotel hotel, where the two victims worked as security guards.
The guards joined the firefighting effort because the burning area bordered their workplace. One of them was also known to have received Manggala Agni firefighting training.
“The fire was in the Mentigen area. Mentigen is the closest area to Artotel,” he said.
As well as the three deaths, three other people suffered burns and required emergency medical treatment.
The injured were identified as Hendra Rony W, a TNBTS staff member; Munawi, from the MMP TLP Fire-Aware Community unit; and Suraji, a security guard at Artotel.
“At present, one TNBTS staff member, one member of the Fire-Aware Community, and another Artotel security guard have been taken to Tongas Hospital after suffering burns,” Endrip said.
He added that Probolinggo Police had gone to the scene to investigate the incident. The bodies of those who died while on duty remained at the site temporarily to allow evidence-gathering to proceed.
“The deceased are still at the scene, where Probolinggo Police are conducting an investigation,” he said.
The exact cause of the three deaths remains under investigation. Police identification work is expected to establish the full sequence of events behind the wildfire tragedy.