SURABAYA: Indonesian firefighters backed by helicopters and drones battled devastating flames for an eighth day on Monday in a national park on Java Island where over 500 hectares have been lost, an official said. The blaze has forced the closure of the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, a popular tourist destination and razed an area equivalent to more than 700 football fields.
By Monday, "the fire has spread toward residential areas" in the Dingklik Valley area of the park, East Java disaster mitigation agency official Satriyo Nurseno said. Two water-bombing helicopters, several fire trucks and drones with sprinklers were aiding forest rangers and soldiers deployed to fight the flames, Satriyo added. Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said on Sunday it would not be possible to fly cloud-seeding missions to trigger rain over the Bromo area for several days given the lack of clouds.
Flames devoured more than 500 hectares of land on Mount Bromo in 2023, sparked by a couple lighting a flare during a pre-wedding photo shoot. Indonesia is forecast to experience a long, intense dry season this year with high risk for drought and wildfires due in part to the El Nino weather phenomenon, the weather agency BMKG has said. — AFP
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