MALANG: Indonesian authorities battled Friday to contain a wildfire that has swept through Mount Bromo National Park on Java island, destroying more than 120 hectares as the country braces itself for an extreme El Nino-fueled dry season.
The fire started Monday near Mount Bromo in East Java, one of Indonesia’s most visited tourist destinations but now closed until further notice.
Local authorities deployed two water-bombing helicopters against the flames that have razed at least 127 hectares of national park land to date, fire official Bambang Setyo Antoko said. The destroyed area is equivalent to about 180 soccer fields.
The fire started Monday near Mount Bromo in East Java, one of Indonesia’s most visited tourist destinations but now closed until further notice.
“We’re very dependent on wind conditions,” Bambang said of the firefighting effort ahead.
