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Indonesia has deployed aircraft and hundreds of firefighters to control a major wildfire in Mount Bromo national park. The blaze highlights how El Nino and dry winds are intensifying fire risks across the country.
Jakarta,UPDATED: Aug 9, 2026 13:18 IST
Indonesia has sent aircraft and hundreds of firefighters to tackle a blaze in a popular national park as the country battles a growing number of wildfires during an unusually dry season.
The biggest fire reported this week has scorched about 176 hectares of Mount Bromo in East Java, within the Bromo Tengger Semeru Park, one of Indonesia’s best-known tourist destinations. Authorities closed the park to visitors on Saturday, and park chief Rudijanta Tjahja Nugraha said the shutdown would continue until further notice.
Hundreds of firefighters, disaster management personnel, police, soldiers, park rangers and volunteers have been mobilised to contain the blaze. Helicopters and drones have also been deployed, while crews have created firebreaks to try to stop the flames from spreading further.
Nugraha said the difficult terrain had complicated the operation, with some hotspots located on steep volcanic slopes that are hard to reach by land.
The fire at Bromo has come amid several other wildfires reported across Indonesia during the dry season. In Central Java’s Banyumas Regency, a forest and land fire broke out on Friday. Authorities said it was triggered by land-clearing activities and spread quickly to nearby areas because of the dry conditions.
In West Java, a fire broke out this week in the Suryakencana Meadow area of Mount Gede Pangrango Park, a popular hiking destination. The incident led authorities to temporarily close hiking trails to Mount Gede and Mount Pangrango.
Indonesia’s Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency said strong winds and extremely dry vegetation were helping the fires spread. It said the El Nio weather pattern, along with seasonal dry winds from Australia, had raised the risk of fires in parts of the country.
Forest fires on Sumatra and Borneo often break out during dry spells. Such fires are frequently started illegally by plantation owners or traditional farmers clearing land for planting, and they periodically send hazardous haze across parts of Southeast Asia. Indonesia is now dealing with multiple fires at once, with the Mount Bromo blaze among the most serious reported this week.
With PTI Inputs
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Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Aug 9, 2026 13:18 IST
