Mount Bromo Fire Due To Prewedding Using Flare Reaches 504 Hectares

The process of extinguishing the fire in the savana area of Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS) in East Java, which caught fire due to pre-wedding photo activity using flares, Wednesday, August 30, 2023. (ANTARA/HO-Balai Besar TNBTS)

JATIM - The Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park Center (BB TNBTS) stated that the damage caused by forest and land fires (karhutla) in the Mount Bromo area, East Java, is estimated at 504 hectares.

Head of Administration for BB TNBTS Septi Eka Wardhani said the total area of damage caused by the fire was an accumulation of several fires in the Mount Bromo area.

"For the total area affected by the fire, it is around 504 hectares," said Septi in Malang City, East Java, Friday, September 15, which was confiscated by Antara.

For information, in the period August-September 2023, there were forest and land fires in the Mount Bromo area several times. On August 29, 2023 at 23.30 WIB, the first time a fire broke out in the area, precisely in the Bantengan area.

At that time, TNBTS BB closed some tourist access to the Mount Bromo area, which was then reopened on September 3, 2023. Then, on the same day, TNBTS BB again closed a number of tourist access due to fires in the Perum Perhutani area which had an impact on View Point Penanjakan.

The closure of some of the tourist access was carried out until September 5, 2023. However, on September 6, 2023, regional managers had to completely close all tourist access in the national park due to fires triggered by visitors due to lighting flares or flares.

Currently, continued Septi, the fire that occurred in the national park area has been completely extinguished. However, joint officers are still conducting surveillance to ensure that no fire appears.

"For now, everything has been extinguished," he said.

TNBTS BB, he said, is still conducting evaluations for the next few days before deciding to reopen tourism access in the national park area. This aims to ensure conditions are truly safe.

"In the next few days, we will conduct an evaluation. If it is confirmed that it is safe, we will open it," he said.

The Mount Bromo area is one of the leading tourist destinations in East Java. In 2022, it was recorded that 318,919 tourists were visited, consisting of 310,418 domestic tourists and 8,501 foreign tourists.

Karhutla in the Bromo area due to negligence in the activity of pre-wedding photos using flares. Initially, the fire caused by flares appeared in Teletubbies Hill and then spread to an extent of 504 hectares in the Mount Bromo area.