Indonesia deploys aircraft, hundreds of firefighters to fight Bromo fire

Indonesia sent airplanes and hundreds of firefighters to Mount Bromo on Sunday as a wildfire cut through Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, one of East Java’s most visited natural attractions. Authorities had already closed the park to visitors on Saturday, then shut all access for tourist activities as the blaze expanded across the protected volcanic landscape.

The fire broke out on Aug. 3 and had destroyed at least 60 hectares, or 148 acres, by Aug. 6. Later reporting put the burned area at about 176 hectares, underlining how quickly the flames moved through the park’s steep ridges and hard-to-reach hillsides. Park chief Rudijanta Tjahja Nugraha was identified as the official overseeing the response.

The firefighting effort brought together disaster management personnel, police, soldiers, park rangers and volunteers. Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana, Indonesia’s disaster agency known as BNPB, confirmed that two helicopters were being used to combat the fire, a sign that the blaze had moved beyond a small ground operation. Video and photo coverage from the area showed crews working on volcanic terrain with bare hands and simple wooden beaters to stop the flames from spreading farther.

The fire has added pressure to a country already dealing with a growing number of wildfires during an unusually dry season. Official data cited by VietnamPlus showed more than 107,000 hectares burned in Indonesia between January and June, more than double the area destroyed in forest fires in 2023. That scale of damage has raised concern for protected areas that also depend on tourism revenue, including Mount Bromo, where closures quickly ripple through local visitor activity.

No casualties had been confirmed in the early stages of the fire, but the incident highlighted how fire, weather and terrain can collide in a national park that must protect biodiversity while handling heavy tourist demand. The response in East Java showed that when flames reach the volcanic slopes of Bromo, officials have to rely on aircraft, large ground crews and favorable conditions to keep the fire from spreading further.