Mount Arjuno Climbing Closed Due To Forest Fire

The condition of the Mount Arjuno area that is included in the Malang Regency area, East Java, after the joint team carried out the blackout. (ANTARA/HO-BPBD Malang Regency)

MALANG - Technical Management Unit (UPT) of the Grand Forest Park (Tahura) Raden Soerjo decided to close the climb of Mount Arjuno in East Java, due to the forest and land fires in the mountainous area.

Head of Protection and Community Empowerment of UPT Tahura Raden Soerjo, East Java Provincial Forestry Service, Ajat Sudrajat, said the climb to the Mount Arjuno area had been closed since Saturday (26/8) due to the fire.

"The climb began to close on Saturday, the fire broke out early Saturday morning. The starting point of the fire appeared in the Singosari District, Malang Regency, precisely in Sriti Bulk," said Ajat, quoted by ANTARA, Monday, August 28.

Ajat explained that in an effort to deal with forest and land fires, his party had sent 65 joint personnel from Tahura Raden Soerjo and groups of people who care about fire and various related elements.

According to him, on Sunday (27/8), there were as many as seven hotspots that the joint team tried to extinguish. From the tent of the hotspot, it has now decreased and leaves two points that are still in the effort to extinguish it.

One of the obstacles faced by the joint team was that the location of the forest and land fires was in a steep area, located in a cliff area that made it difficult to extinguish the fire.

"It's quite dangerous when you're not careful. The beginning of the hotspots was in the Singosari area, in the Sriti Bulk. The fire spread to the Pasuruan area," he said.

Meanwhile, Head of the Malang Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Fuad Fauzi added that his party had coordinated with Tahura Raden Soerjo to assist the fire extinguishing process in the Malang Regency area.

"We have coordinated with Tahura Raden Soerjo, and distributed ready-to-eat logistics," said Fuad.

Fuad said, in an effort to extinguish the fire, the very extreme location and flammable minang material made it difficult for the fire team at the location. However, currently, the fire team has shifted to Pasuruan Regency.

"The problem is that a very extreme location makes it difficult for the blackout team, apart from being caused by the flammable logs. For the current condition, the blackout team has shifted towards the Pasuruan area," he said.