Out of 299 hotspots detected across Indonesia yesterday, only three to four were found in Mount Argopuro area, Setyo Utomo, head of the Jember natural resources conservation office, said here on Thursday.
The conservation office has dispatched four officers to check the hotspots. However, it will take them at least two days to reach the location of the hotspots, he added.
The East Java natural resources conservation office has indefinitely closed the climbing track of Mount Argopuro since Aug 10, 2018, due to prolonged drought that could trigger wildfires.
Mount Argopuro is located within the Hyang High land Sanctuary, which covers parts of the districts of Probolinggo, Situbondo, Bondowoso, and Jember.
The mountain has the longest tract on Java Island and one of the longest in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, a forest fire on Mount Sindoro in Temanggung District, Central Java Province, which has destroyed around 156 hectares of land, has been extinguished, a spokesman of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) revealed.
"However, the mountain`s climbing trails remain closed," BNPB Spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho noted in his Twitter account that Antara quoted in Temanggung, Central Java, on Monday evening.
Local residents and visitors, who want to perform an annual ritual to commemorate the Javanese New Year, or commonly known as 1 Suro, are not allowed to climb the mountain for safety reasons, he noted.
The fire could likely engulf the affected areas due to the drought and strong winds, he explained, adding that the climbing trails had been closed to prevent people from climbing.
Another forest fire had earlier engulfed Mount Lawu, located on the border of Central Java and East Java Provinces, due to prolonged drought.
Reporting by Zumrotun Solichah (f001/INE)
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
