Mount Guntur Garut Climbing Line Closed Due To Forest Fire

Motorcyclists pass through the area of the foot of Mount Guntur, Tarogong Kaler District, Garut Regency, West Java, Wednesday (21/8/2024). BETWEEN/Feri Purnama

The climbing route of Mount Guntur in Garut Regency is temporarily closed due to forest land fires that have the potential to endanger the safety of climbers.

"Meanwhile, we are closing the climb," said West Java BBKSDA Youth Forest Police Agung Firmansyah during the operation to extinguish the forest land fire in Garut, Wednesday, August 21, which was confiscated by Antara.

He said officers from BBKSDA, as well as from the police and other agencies were on standby for security in the Guntur forest area, Tarogong Kaler District to anticipate the spread of fires.

The operation to extinguish the forest land fire in the mountain, he said, was that the climbing route for the general public and tourists was closed until it was confirmed that the flames in the forest area were extinguished.

"Until we make sure that there is no more burning fire," he said.

He conveyed that joint officers are currently still monitoring to ensure that no fire will burn the forest land on Mount Guntur, before the climbing route is reopened.

Officers also, he said, had confirmed that in the Guntur Mountain area there were no climbers or the general public who were trapped in the mountain during the fire or until now.

"We have checked with climbing posts, at this time there are no climbers," he said.

So far, Mount Guntur is often the destination of tourists to climb or camp from various areas such as Bandung, Jakarta, and other cities.

The largest mountain in Garut is not far from the highway or the urban area of Garut, even when there is a night forest fire, it is quite clear from the highway in the Tarogong Kaler sub-district and its surroundings.

However, currently, the temporary climbing route is closed due to a fire located in the Cigenjreng Block, Cilopang Block, and Tegal Saeutik Block with a burned area of approximately 200 hectares.

The fire has been going on since Monday, August 19 night, then joint officers are trying to extinguish it, and is currently burning barriers so that the fire does not continue to spread to other forest land areas.