Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java, Indonesia, has been closed to visitors since Saturday evening due to wildfires. The park, which covers over 50,000 hectares, is home to Mount Bromo, an active volcano and tourist destination known for its 'sand sea' caldera.
A fire broke out at the national park on Aug. 3. While some reports indicate approximately 742 hectares of land burned, an official stated on Monday that 550 hectares were burned before being extinguished. Other accounts from the Jakarta Globe noted 520 hectares had burned by the eighth day of the fire.
After the initial fire was extinguished, new hotspots covering approximately 20 hectares emerged near the Mount Bromo caldera. Firefighters are currently monitoring smoldering areas to prevent the flames from reigniting.
Authorities suspect the fire was caused by carelessness, specifically an individual who lit a fire and did not fully extinguish it. Gatot Soebroto, head of the local disaster mitigation agency, said the fire around the caldera is likely to spread further.
Emergency response and containment
More than 120 personnel, including fire trucks, drones, and three water-bombing helicopters, have been deployed to fight the fires around the caldera. These helicopters are being used for water-bombing operations.
Water-bombing operations would continue until the blaze was completely extinguished.
Minister Antoni added that a helicopter is capable of making up to 30 drops a day when weather conditions permit.
Land burned across Indonesia since the beginning of the year
National impact and air quality
The wildfires have impacted education and air quality across various regions. In Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan on the island of Borneo, schools moved to online learning due to poor air quality. Scores of schools across Indonesia have been closed for a second day as firefighters have battled the blazes for nine consecutive days. Students will continue learning from home for as long as air quality remains poor.
To combat the wildfires and poor air quality, cloud-seeding aircraft have been deployed. Indonesian officials cited El Niño as a cause of the worsening wildfires and the prolonged dry season. [claim:18, claim: 19]
The scale of the response includes nearly 50,000 firefighters and disaster personnel, supported by dozens of helicopters, battling wildfires in several provinces. Other reports indicate more than 48,000 agents have been deployed across six provinces.
