A fire has consumed 60 hectares (148 acres) of land within Mount Bromo's national park in Java, Indonesia, since Monday, officials reported Thursday. The affected area, situated in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, is a prominent tourist site in East Java Province.
Firefighting operations are being hampered by the challenging, steep terrain of the affected slopes, making it difficult for ground crews to access hot spots. Strong winds in the vicinity also risk accelerating the fire's spread, according to a statement from the National Disaster Management Agency. The agency has not yet determined the cause of the blaze.
To aid in extinguishing fires on inaccessible slopes, two water-bombing helicopters were deployed on Thursday. The agency is also preparing weather modification operations, such as cloud seeding, as an additional measure. Authorities have temporarily closed a section of the Mount Bromo tourist area for safety reasons.
This incident follows reports of forest fires in other parts of Indonesia, with fires also occurring in Sumatra and Borneo since the beginning of the month. In West Kalimantan Province, one individual died from oxygen deprivation while attempting to flee smoke from a forest fire in Ketapang Regency. Forest fires are a recurring issue in Sumatra and Borneo, particularly during dry seasons, often contributing to haze in neighboring Singapore and Malaysia.