Malang, Jawa Timur (ANTARA) – Indonesian authorities have contained fire hotspots at Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, preventing the blaze from spreading further after it affected an estimated 899.35 hectares, an official said on Tuesday.
The wildfire, which began on Aug. 3, has affected 817.342 hectares in the Watangan area, 25.393 hectares in Argowulan, and 56.65 hectares across Dingklik, Pakis Bincil, and Mungal, said Colonel Inf. Wahyu Ramadhanus Suryawan, commander of the park’s forest and land fire response sector.
“Currently, our intervention is focused on the remaining active fire hotspots,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
Firefighting operations are being carried out jointly by government ministries, the military, police, and authorities from four districts: Probolinggo, Pasuruan, Malang, and Lumajang.
Suryawan assured that efforts to contain the fire hotspots had been successful, preventing the affected area from expanding further.
However, he noted that firefighting operations continued to face challenges, including strong winds and dry-season weather.
Thick fog had also limited visibility for helicopter pilots conducting aerial water bombing operations, he said.
“Today, we are optimizing two helicopters for water bombing, down from three previously, in response to changing weather conditions and the pilots’ visibility in the field. Our priority is to cut off the fire’s path of spread so that it does not reach new vegetation areas,” he said.
An initial analysis indicated that natural factors were unlikely to have been the main cause of the fire, Suryawan said, noting that parts of the Bromo area still retained some moisture despite the dry season.
Authorities have prepared further precautions to ensure the fire does not reignite, including regular joint patrols, the deployment of combined personnel at strategic locations, and coordinated public information management, Suryawan said.
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Translator: Ananto Pradana, Kuntum Khaira
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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