115 Hectares Land Burned in Bromo Wildfire Successfully Extinguished

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Lumajang Regional Disaster Management Agency head officer Patria Dwi Hastiadi informed that 115 hectares of land previously burned inside the Bromo National Park area has been successfully extinguished. The majority of the land is located in Ranupani Villae and Argosari Village in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS).

However, no information was given on the wildfire engulfing the Bromo National Park in general. "Meanwhile, the wildfire in Lumajang occurred on the cliff and caldera from Bantengan to B29 [peak]," he said.

To put out the fire, the officers first isolated the burning cliff and caldera to prevent spreading. The 5-day effort was a collaborative measure between the national military, the national police, volunteers, and TNBTS officers. "Fortunately for Lumajang, the wildfire has been extinguished," he added.

As for other areas in Bromo National Park, Patria said that it depended on the response from each area's stakeholders. "We cannot comment on it," he said.

Patria mentioned that the volunteers had to cut down trees, grass, and shrubs that would potentially spread the fire further. The volunteers also guard the protected area, preventing the fire from spreading to the protected locations. "Including manually spraying water since heavy equipment can't access the area," he informed.

An expert at the Management Landscape Fire Department in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Raffles B. Panjaitan, said in a written statement quoted on September 13 that the wildfire in East Java encompassed 18,780.94 hectares of forest and 5,867.04 hectares of non-forest land.

DAVID PRIYASIDHARTA

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