JakartaPost-Sept 12
Authorities are struggling to put out forest and land fires that have been engulfing many parts of the country, including mountainous areas of Java and fire-prone regions in Sumatra and Borneo, as the country enters the hottest day of this year’s El Nino-induced dry season. Firefighters are still scrambling to put out the large fire that has been burning through savanna fields and forests in popular tourist destination Mount Bromo in East Java since last Wednesday. The fire first broke out on a hill popularly known among tourists as Teletubbies Hill in Probolinggo regency after a handheld flare used during a pre-wedding photoshoot ignited dry grass in the savanna. As of Monday, the fire had spread to the neighboring Malang and Pasuruan regencies. It also damaged water pipes to six villages in Sukapura district, Probolinggo. Hundreds of firefighters and volunteers had been deployed since last week to put out the blaze. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) also dispatched helicopters that dumped some 13,000 liters of water during a water-bombing operation on Monday. Strong winds helped the fire spread rapidly, making it harder for firefighters to extinguish the blaze, according to the Malang Regency Disaster Mitigation Agency. While authorities were still calculating the extent of the burned area, it was estimated that the fire had burned more than 250 hectares of Bromo, which is part of the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. No fatalities have been reported. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2023/09/13/indonesia-grapples-with-fires-as-el-nino-peaks.html.
