Jakarta, Oct 16 (AP): Four people died and two others suffered severe burns while battling a wildfire in a national park on Indonesia’s main island of Java, after they became trapped by thick smoke and rapidly spreading flames, officials said Friday.
The blaze erupted in recent days in the Mentigen and Pusung Lingker areas of the popular Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java’s Probolinggo regency. The victims were among a 12-member firefighting team consisting of national park personnel, members of a community fire brigade and local volunteers trying to contain the wildfire on Thursday, said East Java police spokesperson Jules Abraham Abast.
Strong winds fanned the flames and caused the fire to spread quickly through dry vegetation. At about 1:30 pm, firefighters operating outside the danger zone received an emergency call from colleagues who had become trapped by dense smoke and advancing flames, Abast said.
The fire follows a major blaze in August that scorched nearly 9 square kilometres of grassland and vegetation, including protected edelweiss flowers, in the park. Rescuers later found three people dead and three others suffering severe burns at an evacuation point. One of those suffering burns died while receiving treatment, Abast said. Two volunteers remained hospitalised with serious burn injuries after being transferred to Dr. Soetomo General Hospital in Surabaya for specialised treatment. Six others escaped unharmed.
“The incident occurred in a remote mountainous area, complicating rescue efforts,” said Probolinggo police chief Asmida Rizki Siregar, who joined emergency crews carrying victims on stretchers for about 2 kilometres because steep terrain prevented vehicles from reaching the site. She said authorities completed the evacuation late Thursday and have launched an investigation into the deaths, including whether negligence or criminal wrongdoing contributed to the tragedy.
Investigators were collecting evidence and interviewing survivors.
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