Wildfire in Indonesian national park grows

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia sent airplanes and hundreds of firefighters on Sunday to fight a blaze in a popular national park, one of a growing number of wildfires the country is battling during an unusually dry season.

The largest fire reported this week has burned about 176 hectares (435 acres) of Mount Bromo, located within the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java province, one of Indonesia’s best-known tourist destinations.

Authorities closed the park to visitors Saturday and Rudijanta Tjahja Nugraha, the park chief, said the shutdown would remain in effect until further notice.

Hundreds of firefighters, disaster management personnel, police, soldiers, park rangers and volunteers have been mobilized to contain the blaze. Helicopters and drones have also been deployed to help battle the fire, while crews have built firebreaks to try to prevent further spread.

Nugraha said difficult terrain has complicated efforts, with some hotspots located on steep volcanic slopes that are difficult to reach by land.

The Bromo fire comes as several other wildfires have been reported across Indonesia during an unusually dry season.

A forest and land fire broke out in Central Java’s Banyumas Regency on Friday, authorities said. That fire was triggered by land-clearing activities and spread rapidly to surrounding areas, fueled by dry conditions. In West Java, a fire broke out this week in the Suryakencana Meadow area of Mount Gede Pangrango National Park, a popular hiking destination. The incident prompted authorities to temporarily close hiking trails to Mount Gede and Mount Pangrango.

Indonesia’s Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency said strong winds and extremely dry vegetation are accelerating the spread of fires. The El Niño weather pattern, combined with seasonal dry winds from Australia, has increased the risk of fires across parts of the country.

Forest fires on Sumatra and Borneo islands often break out during dry spells. Fires are often started illegally by plantation owners or traditional farmers to clear land for planting, and those burns periodically blanket parts of Southeast Asia in hazardous haze.