"Java" Fire Closes a National Park

Indonesian authorities have blocked access to a national park on the island of Java, where firefighters are battling wildfires that have been raging for about a week.

A disaster management official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Monday that the fires have consumed 176 hectares since they broke out last Monday in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park near Mount Bromo, a popular tourist destination in East Java.

Abdul Mahari, spokesperson for the National Disaster Management Agency, stated that no injuries have been reported, adding that two water-dropping helicopters are working to extinguish the fires in areas difficult for rescue teams to reach due to rugged terrain and strong winds.

The official emphasized in a statement that “these conditions make aerial operations essential to reach areas that are not easily accessible by land.”

In 2023, a fire destroyed 500 hectares on Mount Bromo.

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency said Indonesia is expected to experience a more severe, longer, and fire-prone dry season this year, partly due to the El Niño climate phenomenon.

More than 107,000 hectares of land burned in Indonesia during the first half of this year.

El Niño is a natural phenomenon that occurs every two to seven years, leading to rising sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, which also causes significant changes in wind patterns, pressure, and rainfall globally for several months.