Firefighters have largely contained the wildfire in Indonesia’s Mount Bromo national park, though several hot spots remain. The blaze highlights the wider dry-season fire crisis, with peatland smoke worsening health and haze risks.
Firefighters in Indonesia have largely contained a wildfire that has scorched a large part of Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park on Java, though teams are still battling several hot spots in the popular tourist area, authorities said.
The fire, which began last week, had affected nearly 900 hectares across the national park by Tuesday. It burned wide stretches of dry grassland, vegetation and protected edelweiss flowers, according to Rudijanta Tjahja Nugraha, head of the park in East Java province.
The affected area includes the volcanic landscape of Mount Bromo, one of Indonesia’s best-known tourist attractions. The site has been closed as firefighters work to stop the blaze from spreading in the conservation zone.
Active hot spots remain in four areas of the park — Watangan, Argowulan, Dingklik-Pakis and Bincil-Mungal. Nugraha said teams have been working to stop flare-ups through ground efforts and aerial operations.
“We are not only trying to put out the fire, but also ensuring it is completely extinguished and does not reemerge,” Nugraha said.
The Bromo fire comes as Indonesia faces a wider wildfire crisis during the dry season. The National Disaster Management Agency, or BNPB, said nearly 48,900 hectares of peatland had burned across six fire-prone provinces as of Monday, with the largest affected area in West Kalimantan on Borneo island.
In Pontianak, the provincial capital, schools suspended in-person classes after air quality fell to unhealthy levels. Health officials also reported a rise in respiratory illnesses.
The government has stepped up firefighting efforts across Sumatra and Borneo, deploying more than 35 aircraft, including water-bombing helicopters and patrol planes.
“Aerial operations are supporting ground operations which are especially critical in peatland areas,” said BNPB chief Suharyanto, who like many Indonesians uses a single name. “Because peat fires can continue smoldering underground long after surface flames disappear and can reignite if not fully extinguished.”
He said peatland fires produce thick smoke that adds to hazardous haze, worsens air quality and raises health risks in affected areas, and at times in neighbouring countries as well. According to BNPB, satellite images showed wildfire smoke drifting from West Kalimantan into neighbouring Malaysia on several days this month.
Forest and peat fires are an annual problem in Indonesia and often strain ties with neighbouring countries. Authorities said the fires are often started illegally by plantation owners or traditional farmers clearing land for planting, with the burning periodically covering parts of Southeast Asia in hazardous haze. Overall, while the Mount Bromo fire has largely been contained, firefighting efforts are continuing both there and in other affected parts of Indonesia.
With PTI Inputs
