Fire near Indonesia's Mount Bromo extinguished but new hotspots emerge

A fire in Indonesia's Mount Bromo National Park in East Java, which had previously burned 550 hectares, has been extinguished according to a local official on Monday. However, new hotspots have emerged near the volcano's caldera, covering approximately 20 hectares. The fire ignited on August 3 and was officially brought under control on Sunday, as reported by Gatot Soebroto, head of the local disaster mitigation agency to Reuters.

Authorities discovered the new fires adjacent to the caldera comprising 20 hectares. Mount Bromo, an active volcano and a renowned tourist hotspot, is most famous for its sand sea caldera. The national park spans over 50,000 hectares.

The fire around the caldera is anticipated to spread further on Monday, according to Soebroto. Over 120 personnel, three water-bombing helicopters, drones, and several fire trucks have been mobilized to combat the fires encircling the caldera.

The origins of the fire remain under investigation; however, the authorities suspect human negligence as the cause. It's believed that someone ignited a fire, only to smother it improperly, resulting in the unextinguished blaze. Soebroto explained this inference was based on the initial flame being located along a route frequently traversed by tourists. Since Saturday evening, the national park has been shut down due to the fires. To date, there have been no reported casualties.