Joint Officers Put Out The TNBTS Forest Fire In Lumajang

LUMAJANG - Joint officers managed to extinguish some of the hotspots in the forest fire in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS) area in Lumajang Regency, East Java.

"Currently, only one hotspot is observed," said Head of Administration of the TNBTS Center, Septi Eka Wardhani, as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, August 22.

Based on the monitoring of the Forest and Land Fire Monitoring System on August 18, 2023, several hotspots were observed in the TNBTS area in the Oro-Oro Ombo block below the peak of Mount Semeru, which is included in the National Park Management Resort (RPTN) for the Ranupani Region, Lumajang Regency.

"TNBTS officers monitored and checked directly in the field and found fires in the area with burning vegetation in the form of logs, shrubs, flavors, and parts of the mountain spruce tree," he said.

TNBTS officers assisted by the Fire Concerned Community (MPA) Ranupani Village, Ngadas Village, and Argosari Village, TNI and Polri, have been at the location to extinguish the fire in the TNBTS forest area.

On August 19, joint officers created fire barriers and managed to localize the fire so as not to spread to the Cilik Ranu Kumbolo Pangonan and joint officers were at the location to cool down and ensure that the fire had been extinguished in Oro-Oro Ombo, as well as checking the fire extinguishing process at locations around Jambangan and Keling.

"The cause of the fire and the area of the fire are still in the identification process. We urge all parties to be careful and not to make fires around the TNBTS area because the weather conditions are currently very dry due to the dry season," he said.

Septi explained that some of the savana dried up due to the frost some time ago, so that joint officers tried their best to extinguish the flames that were still burning on the slopes of Mount Semeru.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Lumajang Police, AKBP Boy Jeckson Situmorang, said that the police dispatched a team to help TNBTS officers extinguish the fire in the Mount Semeru forest area.

"Firespots are far from the hiking trail and residential areas, but forest fires in the TNBTS area are of common concern and must be guarded by all parties," he said.