Mount Gede Pangrango Fire Burns 3 Hectares of Land, Including Edelweiss Field

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The fire in the Suryakencana Square area of the Mount Gede Pangrango National Park (TNGGP), West Java burned an area of three hectares. The blaze was successfully extinguished four hours after the hotspot was detected on Monday, September 18, at 12:49 p.m. local time.

TNGGP chief Sapto Adji Prabowo explained that the fire destroyed the western part of the most iconic savanna in the conservation area.

“The fire was successfully put out about four hours after the hotspot was detected,” Sapto told journalists in Cianjur, Tuesday, September 19, 2023.

Sapto said that the personnel are still at the site, conducting the cooling down process and carrying out assessments.

According to him, the management has not been able to confirm the cause and source of the fire yet. However, he confirmed that it was not triggered by a fireplace lit by visitors. The hotspot was first detected in the campground.

“We will investigate it and ask the team for information,” Sapto said.

He also said that the fire destroyed the Edelweiss Flower Park in the Suryakencana Square area. He stopped short of detailing how much area of the eternal flowers was burned. In addition, the fire also damaged another iconic plant area, namely the Cantigi Forest.

“The vegetation that was burned was grass, Edelweiss, and Cantigi which were located in the area leading to Mount Gumuruh or west of Suryakencana Square,” Sapto said.

DEDEN ABDUL AZIZ (CONTRIBUTOR)

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