Mount Bromo Closure Extended To Aug 15 As Fire Spreads To Nearly 900 Hectares

JAKARTA, Aug 11 (Bernama) -- The closure of the Mount Bromo tourism area in East Java has been extended until Aug 15 as authorities continue operations to tackle forest and land fires in the area.

The Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park Authority (BBTNBTS) said the closure was extended due to conditions in the area, where response efforts remain ongoing.

“Affected visitors may apply for a ticket refund or reschedule their tickets in accordance with the applicable terms and conditions, while information on the reopening of the area will be announced through BBTNBTS’ official channels,” it said in its social media post on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Mount Bromo forest and land fire response sector commander Col Wahyu Ramadhanus Suryawan said the fire in the Mount Bromo area had spread to an estimated 899.35 hectares since the blaze began on Aug 3.

“Today, we are optimising two helicopters for water bombing, compared with three previously, in line with changing weather conditions and pilots’ visibility in the field. Our priority is to cut off the fire’s path to prevent it from spreading to new vegetation areas,” he said, according to Antara News Agency.

Wahyu said an initial assessment indicated that natural factors were unlikely to have caused the fire, as the Bromo area still retained a certain level of moisture despite the current dry-season conditions.

Authorities have also prepared follow-up measures to prevent the fire from flaring up again, including regular joint patrols, the deployment of personnel at designated locations and coordinated public information management.

-- BERNAMA