Way Kambas National Park Still Burning, Wild Elephants Confirmed Safe

A forest fire has struck the Way Kambas National Park (TNWK) area in East Lampung and is still being brought under control. TNWK officials have confirmed that wild elephants in the conservation area remain safe.

Head of the TNWK Office, MHD Zaidi, said that as of Saturday afternoon (22/8/2026), a joint team was still battling the blaze in the Kuala Penet Resort area. A number of personnel had to travel on foot to reach the fire hotspots because access to the location is quite difficult.

"There have been no reports of elephants affected by the fire. For now, the wild elephants are monitored in the northern part of TNWK," said Zaidi.

The fire was first detected on Friday afternoon (21/8/2026). Firefighting efforts were still ongoing as of Saturday afternoon.

Zaidi explained that the terrain conditions pose a particular challenge in handling the fire. The burning area is peatland, while water sources are located quite far from the hotspots.

"TNWK, together with all parties, continues to make maximum efforts to extinguish the fire. The difficult field conditions, distant water sources, and the peatland characteristics of the area pose particular challenges for the team on the ground," he said.