Will Report Back To Lawyers For Suspects Of Gunung Bromo Forest And Land Fires, TNBTS Affirms Optimal Patrols

The condition of the Watangan Valley Savana Block or known as Teletubbies Hill, in Probolinggo Regency, East Java, after the fire, Thursday (21/9/2023). (ANTARA/Vicki Febrianto)

JAKARTA - The Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park Center (BB TNBTS) fully handed over the legal process of forest and land fires in the area of Mount Bromo, East Java, which was triggered by visitors to the police. Head of the TNBTS Center Hendro Widjanarko said his party would provide full support if the local police needed various data and information. "For the legal process, we entrust the Probolinggo Police. We support the data and information," said Hendro as quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, September 21. Hendro explained that a number of TNBTS personnel have also provided information regarding forest and land fires (karhutla) events triggered by the use of flares or flares by visitors who at that time took pictures in the Bukit Teletubbies or Watangan Valley area. According to him, so far, TNBTS together with local communities and tourism service actors have made optimal efforts to prevent or prepare mitigation measures for forest and land fires. "I want to put forward with the community, tourism service actors have carried out optimal management, including for fire mitigation," he said.Regarding the plan of the forest and land fires case suspects to report the regional managers who were considered negligent in preventing fire events, the TNBTS party stated that it was the right of citizens. "The right of their citizens is to demand (ours). What is clear, we TNBTS together with tourism service actors and the community, have carried out optimal management and have carried out anticipatory patrols of forest and land fires since July 2023," he said. When the fire occurred in Bukit Teletubbies on September 6, 2023, TNBTS personnel together with the Fire Care Community (MPA) had already carried out an early extinguishing effort, but were unable to control the spread of fire. "At that time the fire moved to the west, then to the east and to the north or the west. For those to the west, we could have extinguished it at that time, however, the upward was difficult because of its topography, there was no road access to the peak," he said.

The fire that was hit by strong winds made the spread of fire spread further, which ultimately resulted in damage to the 504 hectare area. The joint fire fighting team, which was also assisted by water bombing operations from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), managed to extinguish the fire on September 14, 2023.Personnel of the Probolinggo Resort Police Criminal Investigation Unit (Polres) previously named the manager of the organizing organizer with the initials AP (41) as a suspect in the case of forest and land fires in the Mount Bromo area. As a result of the fire incident triggered by the use of the flare, the national park area had to be completely closed from tourist activities from September 6 to September 18, 2023. It is estimated that the value of the loss due to the fire incident reached Rp5.4 billion.