Wildfire at Indonesia’s Mount Bromo mostly contained as smoke forces school closures

Indonesian firefighters have largely contained a wildfire that burned nearly 900 hectares of vegetation in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park on Java island. The fire, which began last week, impacted dry grassland, protected edelweiss flowers, and the popular tourist destination of Mount Bromo, which has been closed. Hot spots remain in four areas of the park, with crews working on both ground and aerial operations to fully extinguish the blaze. This incident occurs amidst a broader wildfire crisis in Indonesia during the dry season, with over 48,900 hectares of peatland burned across multiple provinces. The resulting smoke has led to unhealthy air quality in some areas, forcing school closures and a rise in respiratory illnesses, and has also affected neighboring Malaysia.

Indonesian officials are actively working to control widespread wildfires that have already consumed over 100,000 hectares of land. Nearly 50,000 firefighters are involved in the containment efforts across six affected provinces, including Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan. In response to the poor air quality caused by the blazes, dozens of schools, particularly in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, have been closed for a second day, with children instructed to learn from home. Authorities are deploying cloud-seeding aircraft in an attempt to induce rainfall and combat the dry conditions exacerbated by the El Nino phenomenon, which increases the risk of fires spreading.

Indonesia is intensifying efforts to combat a growing number of wildfires across the archipelago, particularly in East Java's Mount Bromo National Park and peatlands in Sumatra, due to an unusually dry season exacerbated by El Nino conditions. The largest blaze in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park has scorched approximately 743 hectares, impacting grasslands and protected flowers. Hundreds of firefighters, soldiers, police, and volunteers are working to contain the fires, with helicopters deployed for water-bombing. The park has been closed to visitors. Similar fires on Sumatra have caused haze and destroyed oil palm plantations, with difficult conditions complicating firefighting efforts. August and September are expected to be critical months for fire spread due to dry vegetation and strong winds.

A wildfire that burned 550 hectares in Indonesia's Mount Bromo National Park in East Java has been extinguished. However, new hotspots have been detected near the caldera, with authorities identifying approximately 20 hectares of new fires in surrounding areas. Gatot Soebroto, head of the local disaster mitigation agency, confirmed the extinguishment of the larger fire and the discovery of the new ones. Mount Bromo is an active volcano and a popular tourist destination known for its caldera. The national park spans over 50,000 hectares.

Malaysia is experiencing a return of haze, with unhealthy air quality readings reported in Sarawak and Selangor on Monday. This is due to uncontrolled forest fires in neighboring Indonesia, which are sending smoke northward. Transboundary haze is a recurring issue in Southeast Asia, impacting Malaysia and Singapore due to their proximity to Indonesia, where forest and agricultural fires are common during the dry season. Over the weekend, a wildfire burned 550 hectares in Indonesia's Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, one of several fires that spread rapidly last week amidst an unusually dry period in the region. Residents in affected Malaysian states have been advised to remain indoors.