Fires scorch nearly 660 hectares at two Indonesian national parks as firefighting enters fourth day

JAKARTA, Sept 25 — Forest and land fires have scorched nearly 660 hectares across two national parks in Indonesia, as firefighting operations continued for a fourth day today, according to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).

BNPB Disaster Data, Information and Communication Centre acting head Berton Panjaitan said about 600 hectares had been affected at Way Kambas National Park in East Lampung, Sumatra, and 59.5 hectares at Mount Merapi National Park in Magelang, Central Java, since the fires broke out on Tuesday.

At Way Kambas, he said firefighting efforts continued on Thursday but were hampered by difficult access, limited water supplies and the considerable distance between fire points and water sources.

“Unsupervised burning activities can spread rapidly when vegetation is dry, particularly when accompanied by strong winds,” Berton said in a statement today.

At Mount Merapi National Park, the fire burned grass and pine trees, with drone monitoring showing that about 59.5 hectares of forest were affected between September 22 and 24.

Berton said most of the fire had been extinguished by Thursday night, although joint teams continued monitoring and patrols as embers remained at several locations.

Both national parks are also nature tourism destinations. Way Kambas is known for its Sumatran elephant conservation and other endangered wildlife, while Mount Merapi, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, attracts visitors for its volcanic landscape and outdoor activities.

Elsewhere, fires affected about 280 hectares near the foothills of Mount Klabat in North Minahasa, North Sulawesi, and about 127 hectares in North Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, where firefighting operations were continuing. — Bernama