Forest and land fires (karhutla) have once again struck the mountainous area of East Java, this time targeting the Mount Biru area located in Mojokerto Regency. The flames were reported to be spreading, sparking concern over damage to the protected forest ecosystem in the region.
The local Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), along with joint personnel from Perhutani and volunteers, were immediately deployed to the location to tame the fire. However, extinguishing efforts face major hurdles as the fire hotspots are located on steep cliffs with very treacherous access.
The lack of water supply and strong gusts of wind at the mountain peak have also accelerated the spread of the fire to surrounding dry vegetation. To anticipate the spread of the fire, personnel were forced to carry out manual extinguishing and create firebreaks to localize the movement of the fire so it does not spread to a wider area.
Until now, the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation by the authorities. The BPBD urges the public and hikers not to engage in activities that could trigger sparks, given the dry weather conditions that are highly vulnerable to potential forest fires.
