Wildfires Hit Five Mountain Areas in East Java
Five mountain areas in East Java have reportedly been hit by forest and land fires since Friday (16 October) night, with the fires still burning on Saturday (17 October) morning. The blazes range from the Mount Bromo area to the slopes of Mount Arjuno.
Satriyo Nurseno, head of the emergency and logistics division at the East Java Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), confirmed that the fires had spread across several locations, prompting the deployment of personnel to tackle them.
“Joint teams are continuing to monitor the hotspots and carry out manual firefighting in mountainous areas that can still be reached by land,” Satriyo said on Saturday (17 October).
According to BPBD data, by Friday night fires in the Mount Bromo area had burned at three locations across two regencies.
The flames affected Bukit Kembang in Pucuk Sari village and the Mount Ringgit area in Sapihkerep village, Probolinggo Regency. In Bromo, the fire also reached the Kesiman Block in the Lemah Pasar area of Wonokitri village, Pasuruan Regency.
“East Java provincial BPBD personnel, together with joint teams, are continuing to monitor the fire near the locations,” he said.
A fire also struck the Mount Sigiran area in RKW 06, Begaganlimo village, Gondang subdistrict, Mojokerto Regency.
In response to the fire on the mountain slope, officers from the Tahura conservation area management agency, together with Mojokerto and provincial BPBD teams, began prevention and suppression measures.
“Joint teams in Mojokerto are now working to stop the fire spreading further by cooperating to create firebreaks and fire barriers,” Satriyo said.
Similar conditions were reported on the slopes of Mount Arjuno in Malang Regency. A fire was seen burning intensely at Puncak Budug Asu in Gunungrejo village, Singosari subdistrict.
Joint teams and personnel from Situbondo Regency BPBD moved along the hiking route to put out the fire in the area.
“East Java provincial BPBD personnel and regency BPBD personnel are assessing the situation and coordinating with relevant parties. Joint teams are carrying out firefighting at the site,” he said.
A fire was also reported in the Mount Ringgit area of the Arjuno-Welirang range, within Pasuruan Regency. Satriyo said the East Java BPBD Rapid Response Team had been deployed into the forest.
“East Java provincial BPBD has dispatched Rapid Response Team personnel to accelerate the response to the forest and land fires, assess the situation and coordinate with relevant parties,” he said.
“Joint teams are carrying out manual firefighting in areas that can be reached,” he added.
In addition to the mountain areas, a fire burned land in the Tamankursi area of Sumbermalang subdistrict, Situbondo Regency. Tackling the blaze in this conservation area requires special coordination between agencies.
“East Java provincial BPBD personnel and the Situbondo BPBD team have conducted an assessment and are coordinating closely with the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) to monitor the fire there,” Satriyo said.