Indonesia extinguishes 4 forest, land fires across 4 provinces

Indonesian authorities have extinguished four separate forest and land fires that burned a combined 16 hectares (39.5 acres) across four provinces on Java and South Sulawesi.

The blazes were recorded in Central Java, South Sulawesi, West Java and East Java, news portal Aktual reported Wednesday, citing the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).

Dodi Yuleova, acting head of the BNPB’s Disaster Data, Information and Communication Center, said the largest single blaze affected 7 ha (17.3 acres) in South Sulawesi, while a 5-ha (12.4-acre) fire broke out in Central Java on Tuesday before joint emergency teams contained both incidents.

In West Java, a 3-ha (7.4-acre) grassland fire on the slopes of Mount Picung was declared fully extinguished following joint operations by local disaster management officers, police, firefighters and residents.

Meanwhile, another fire burned 1 ha (2.5 acres) of sono trees and shrubs on Mount Jabung in East Java before officers extinguished it Tuesday evening.

Authorities said Tuesday that a fire that broke out Aug. 3 had burned around 742 ha (1,833 acres) of land in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java.

Yuleova warned that forest and land fires pose significant risks beyond environmental damage, stressing that they threaten air quality, public health, economic stability and daily social life in affected regions.

Disaster management officials urged the public to remain vigilant during the ongoing dry season, refrain from using fire for land clearing and immediately report any newly detected hotspots to local authorities to enable a rapid response, as the country has been battling blazes since earlier this month.