Mount Bromo wildfire largely contained as smoke forces school closures

Indonesian firefighters report that a wildfire ignited last week in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park has been mostly brought under control, though four active hotspots persist in areas such as Watangan and Argowulan. The blaze has consumed roughly 900 hectares of dry grassland, vegetation and rare edelweiss flowers, leading to the closure of the Mount Bromo tourist zone while crews work to prevent re-ignition. The incident occurs amid a nationwide surge in dry-season fires, with the National Disaster Management Agency confirming nearly 48,900 hectares of peatland burned across six provinces, the largest area in West Kalimantan.

Poor air quality forced schools in Pontianak to halt in-person classes and health officials reported rising respiratory cases. To tackle the smoldering peat fires, the agency has mobilized over 35 aircraft for water-bombing and patrol missions, emphasizing the risk of underground reignition and cross-border haze affecting neighboring Malaysia. Authorities stress that illegal land-clearing burns continue to fuel these seasonal disasters.