Wildfire in Indonesian national park grows

Indonesia deployed aircraft and hundreds of firefighters to combat a wildfire in a popular national park, marking one of numerous such blazes the country is facing due to an unusually dry season. The largest reported fire has scorched approximately 176 hectares within Mount Bromo, a well-known tourist destination in East Java province.

Authorities have closed the park to visitors, and officials, including park chief Rudijanta Tjahja Nugraha, have announced that the closure will remain in effect until further notice. Efforts to control the blaze involve hundreds of firefighters, disaster management personnel, police, soldiers, park rangers, volunteers, along with the use of helicopters, drones, and the construction of firebreaks.

The challenging terrain, particularly steep volcanic slopes, has hindered containment efforts. The Bromo fire is part of a series of wildfires across Indonesia during this dry season, including a forest and land fire in Central Java's Banyumas Regency triggered by land-clearing activities and another fire near Mount Gede Pangrango National Park in West Java, which led to the temporary closure of hiking trails.

Indonesia's Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency attributes the rapid spread of fires to strong winds and extremely dry vegetation, exacerbated by the El Niño weather pattern and seasonal dry winds from Australia.