Wildfire in Mount Arjuno-Welirang Spreads, with 70 Fire Hotspots

The fire in the Mount Arjuno-Welirang area has spread across Pasuruan, Mojokerto and Batu. Dozens of hotspots were still being detected on Tuesday morning as joint teams worked to extinguish them.

“Yesterday there were more than 100 hotspots. This morning’s update puts the number at 70, but the figures are still highly volatile. The number of hotspots may change depending on conditions on the ground,” said Agustiningtyas Marini, head of the Raden Soerjo Grand Forest Park Technical Management Unit, as reported by detikJatim on Tuesday (20 October 2026).

Marini, who is known as Tyas, said teams from the forest ranger unit, Raden Soerjo Grand Forest Park, Manggala Agni, the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the Indonesian Military and National Police, as well as volunteers, had been deployed from several locations to fight the fires on foot.

“People have gone up from several points, together with local residents and volunteers, to tackle the fires. They are beating them out with branches and creating firebreaks to stop flames in areas that are difficult to reach from spreading,” she said.

She added that many volunteers and personnel wanted to assist directly in the field. However, the number of people allowed to enter the area was being strictly limited, and they had to have the necessary skills.

“There are many personnel involved: 30 people have set out from one point and 50 from another. There is no shortage of manpower or enthusiasm, but their skills and abilities need to be considered because we are concerned about a repeat of what happened at Bromo,” Tyas added.