PROBOLINGGO, Indonesia — Indonesia has reduced the number of active wildfire hotspots in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java to two, down from 34, as authorities work to fully extinguish a blaze that has affected hundreds of hectares, officials said on Wednesday.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) is targeting Friday, Aug. 14, to extinguish the remaining hotspots, BNPB chief Suharyanto said after inspecting the affected area with Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno on Tuesday.
Three water-bombing aircraft are on standby, with one expected to remain deployed at Bromo until the remaining hotspots are extinguished, Suharyanto said. Firefighters are also working from the ground, although difficult terrain is complicating efforts.
The remaining hotspots are located on steep slopes, some reaching an incline of about 80 degrees, making access difficult and potentially unsafe for ground crews, according to BNPB. Water availability is another challenge, with crews relying on water transported from Ranu Pani in Lumajang district, officials said.
Authorities said about 889 hectares had been affected by the fire across Probolinggo, Lumajang, Malang and Pasuruan districts. The latest figure is higher than an earlier estimate of 550 hectares reported on Aug. 10, when authorities said a separate fire had been extinguished but new hotspots had emerged around the Bromo caldera.
The wildfire began on Aug. 3. More than 120 personnel, helicopters, drones and fire trucks had been deployed in earlier operations around the caldera, according to local disaster officials. No casualties had been reported as of Aug. 10.
Authorities have not established the cause of the fire. Local disaster agency chief Gatot Soebroto previously said investigators suspected carelessness after the first flames were found along a route used by visitors, but the investigation remained ongoing.
Pratikno said the government was also preparing weather modification measures in coordination with BNPB and the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG). BMKG said rain-producing clouds were not yet available for cloud-seeding operations but forecast potential rain between Aug. 14 and Aug. 16, which could assist firefighting if precipitation occurs.
The national park has been closed to tourists since Aug. 8 as authorities respond to the wildfire. The immediate priority remains extinguishing the two remaining hotspots by Friday, BNPB said.
