Four people who were battling a wildfire in a national park on Java have died, Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry said on Friday, as the country grapples with its most severe forest fires in over a decade.
The victims were trapped by flames on Thursday in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java. Two others were seriously burned and are receiving medical treatment.
The ministry has not named those who died. It offered “deep condolences” and praised the courage and dedication of officers, volunteers and residents working on the fire lines.
Safety warnings for firefighting crews
The ministry said the deaths were a stark reminder that putting out forest and land fires is dangerous work. It stressed that crews must put safety first, including monitoring how flames spread and which way the wind is blowing.
Officials also called for evacuation routes to be kept ready and for conditions to be assessed before and during each operation.
Hotspots rise as neighbours face haze
Satellite monitoring detected 799 high-confidence hotspots nationwide as of Thursday night, an increase of 427 from the previous day. The ministry cautioned that a hotspot does not equal a single fire, since one blaze can register as several.
Sumatra and Borneo, close to Singapore and Malaysia, are the worst affected areas. The smoke has drifted across borders and blanketed neighbouring countries in haze.
Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir said President Prabowo Subianto has approved accepting help from neighbouring countries. Malaysia offered last month to send three helicopters, an aircraft and 52 personnel, but no follow-up has been reported. Singapore has also said it is ready to help.
The fires have caused respiratory problems for hundreds of thousands of people and forced school closures in Malaysia and East Timor, according to reports.
