Indonesia’s Mount Bromo wildfire put out but new fires threaten in unusually dry season
Authorities suspect the fire was caused by carelessness as the first flame was found along a route used by visitors
Gatot Soebroto, head of the local disaster mitigation agency, said authorities had found new fires in areas around the caldera covering some 20 hectares.
Mount Bromo is an active volcano, and is a popular tourist destination and best known for its “sand sea” caldera. The national park covers over 50,000 hectares.
“The fire around the caldera is likely to spread further on Monday,” Gatot said.
More than 120 personnel, three water-bombing helicopters, drones and some fire trucks have been deployed to put out the fires around the caldera.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated, but Gatot said authorities suspect it was caused by carelessness. “A person lit a fire, then put it out – but the fire was not fully extinguished,” he said, adding this conclusion was reached because the first flame was found along a route used by visitors.
The national park has been closed since Saturday evening because of the fires. Rudijanta Tjahja Nugraha, the park chief, said the shutdown would remain in effect until further notice. There have been no casualties reported.