Volkswacht Bodensee - Indonesia closes national park as wildfire spreads

The blaze has razed 176 hectares (435 acres) since it broke out on Monday in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, near the popular East Java tourist destination of Mount Bromo, a disaster official said.

Authorities barred access to visitors late Saturday until further notice.

No injuries or property destruction have been reported, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari.

Two water-bombing helicopters have been deployed to douse the flames in areas difficult for firefighters to reach due to steep slopes and strong winds, he said in a statement Sunday.

"These conditions make air operations important to reach areas that cannot be accessed optimally by land," the official said.

A blaze destroyed more than 500 hectares of land on Mount Bromo in 2023 when a couple lit a flare during a pre-wedding photo shoot.

Indonesia is projected to experience a more intense and prolonged dry season this year, raising the risk of wildfires and drought, due in part to the El Nino weather phenomenon, weather agency BMKG said.

More than 107,000 hectares of land burned in Indonesia in the first half of this year, over twice the area destroyed in wildfires in 2023.

El Nino is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon that brings worldwide changes in winds, air pressure and rainfall patterns. It usually causes drier conditions in Southeast Asia and India.

E.Gasser--VB