Since Monday, when a fire broke out in the national park near the popular tourist spot in East Java – Mount Bromo volcano – the flames have already destroyed 176 hectares of land, a disaster response agency representative reported.
Officials late Saturday banned visitors from entering the park until further notice.
There are no reports yet of injuries or property damage, said Abdul Muhari, a representative of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.
In a statement released Sunday, he said two water-spraying helicopters were deployed to extinguish fires in areas difficult for firefighters to reach due to steep slopes and strong winds.
“Due to such conditions, aerial operations are important to reach places that cannot be optimally accessed by land,” the official said.
In 2023, a fire in the vicinity of Mount Bromo, caused by a signal flare ignited during a wedding photoshoot, burned more than 500 hectares of land.
Indonesia’s meteorological agency BMKG forecasts a more intense and longer dry season in the country this year. This increases the risk of forest fires and drought, partly due to the “El Nino” weather phenomenon.
In the first half of this year, more than 107 thousand hectares of land burned in Indonesia – more than double the area destroyed by forest fires in 2023.
“El Nino” is a natural climate phenomenon causing changes in wind, air pressure, and precipitation patterns worldwide. In Southeast Asia and India, it usually causes drier weather conditions.
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