Indonesian firefighters have mostly contained a wildfire that has scorched a large area of a national park on the main island of Java, though crews are battling several remaining hot spots in the popular tourist destination, authorities said.
Wildfire Impact
The fire, which began last week, impacted nearly 900 hectares (2,224 acres) across the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park as of Tuesday, burning large areas of dry grassland, vegetation and protected edelweiss flowers, said Rudijanta Tjahja Nugraha, head of the park located in East Java province.
The volcanic landscape of Mount Bromo, one of Indonesia’s best-known attractions, is in the impacted area and has been closed as firefighters work to prevent the blaze from spreading in the conservation zone.
Active hot spots remain in four areas within the park: Watangan, Argowulan, Dingklik-Pakis and Bincil-Mungal. Teams have been working to prevent flare-ups on the ground and with aerial operations, Nugraha said.
The Bromo fire comes as Indonesia faces a growing wildfire crisis during the dry season. The National Disaster Management Agency, or BNPB, said nearly 48,900 hectares (121,000 acres) of peatland had burned across six fire-prone provinces as of Monday, with the largest affected area in West Kalimantan on Borneo island.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
