The forest fire that hit the Mount Ringgit Block in Sapikerep Village, Sukapura District, Probolinggo Regency, is now reported to have been extinguished. Nevertheless, the joint team continues to conduct intensive monitoring after detecting thin plumes of smoke rising from behind a steep cliff in the buffer zone of Mount Bromo.
The Chief Executive of the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Probolinggo Regency, Oemar Sjarief, confirmed that generally the flames have been successfully subdued. However, based on direct field observations, the team still sees indications of smoke even though hotspots are visually no longer observed.
"Overall, the fire has actually been extinguished. However, when our team conducted search and monitoring, smoke plumes were still seen rising," said Oemar. He added that the hotspot is suspected to be hidden behind the ridge of Mount Ringgit, which is difficult to reach, making the smoke appear to merge with the clouds.
According to the BPBD explanation, firefighting efforts had actually borne fruit since Sunday afternoon. Although a small hotspot reappeared towards evening around 17:00 WIB, the condition was immediately handled until it was completely extinguished. Currently, joint personnel have been withdrawn from the scene, but the preparedness post remains active to anticipate the potential emergence of new fires.
The forest fire on the slopes of Bromo was first reported to have broken out last Saturday. The extreme terrain consisting of steep cliffs was the main obstacle for officers from Perhutani, BPBD, and local volunteers in conducting manual direct firefighting, until the fire was finally extinguished after several days of handling.
