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Mount Ciremai fire worst in three years
Officials attributed the widespread forest fires at the national park, which is located on the border of the regencies of Kuningan and Majalengka, to this year’s long dry season and El Niño.
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Natural scenery from the top of Mount Ciremai in West Java (Shutterstock/Agungky)
F
ires have torn across parts of Mount Ciremai in West Java several times this year, gutting a total of 177 hectares, the largest area of destruction in three years.
Mount Ciremai National Park Center head Maman Surahman said the figure was an accumulation of a series of forest fires so far this year. In comparison, from 2020 to 2022, forest fires in the park covered 28 hectares, 0.77 hectares and 138 hectares, respectively.
Officials attributed the widespread forest fires at the national park, which is located on the border of the regencies of Kuningan and Majalengka, to this year’s long dry season and El Niño.
Maman said the first forest fire of the year started on Aug. 25 and lasted for five days, encompassing 155 hectares of land. Maman and his team were caught unprepared at the time, he said, and had been in a meeting with the regent of Kuningan to discuss forest fire preparation measures.
“[It] was unexpected. The fire had already started, and we were not organized well yet,” said Maman. The blaze was extinguished through a joint effort by stakeholders and volunteers.
After the first fire, five to ten more sprang up in several areas and burnt up to 20 hectares, Maman reported. This year’s forest fires have mostly affected Ciremai's northern areas, with the majority of vegetation burned being bushes and reeds.
To prepare for future fires, Maman and his team have been setting up observation posts in the national park. He said he had also scheduled land patrols and air patrols using drones.
“In the future, let us, together, control climate change, safeguard existing forests, make efforts to restore the ecosystem and control fires. This is the joint stance that we must take to combat climate change,” Maman said.
