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Indonesia battles widespread wildfires and identifies 113 suspects
Indonesia is facing widespread forest and land fires (karhutla) across several provinces, including Riau, Kalimantan, and East Java. The Indonesian National Police (Polri) has identified 113 suspects in connection with 169 reported cases, which have affected approximately 4,741.89 hectares of land. Riau province reported the highest number of suspects with 42 individuals, primarily involving people burning land for agricultural purposes.
In East Java, the Ijen Crater Nature Tourism Park has been temporarily closed to visitors due to fires spreading near the Pondok Bunder hiking trail. The Banyuwangi Regency Government has declared a 14-day emergency status for the Ijen Crater wildfires, effective from September 4 to September 17, 2026. Authorities are coordinating water bombing operations via helicopter to assist ground teams in the difficult terrain.
To combat the fires, the Ministry of Forestry and BMKG are intensifying weather modification operations (OMC) in West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and East Java. These operations aim to trigger rainfall to suppress hotspots. In Kalimantan, military personnel (Kodam XII/Tambun Bungai) are also actively engaged in ground-level firefighting and securing vital logistics routes amidst the haze.
Entities
BBKSDA East Java · BBKSDA Jawa Timur · BNPB · BPBD Banyuwangi · BPBD Bondowoso · Banyuwangi · Banyuwangi Regional Disaster Management Agency · Bondowoso · East Java Major Natural Resources Conservation Center · Ijen Crater · Ijen Crater Nature Tourism Park · KPH Saddang I
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 4 SOURCES] BBKSDA Jawa Timur has temporarily closed tourist visits to the Ijen Crater Nature Tourism Park area. www.mediapatriot.co.id · en.tempo.co
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The fire in the Gunung Merapi Ungup-Ungup area of Mount Ijen burned approximately 20 hectares of land. jatim.jpnn.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] Polri has designated 113 suspects in forest and land fire cases. nasional.sindonews.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The burned area in the Semeru mountain area is estimated to reach 1,888.91 hectares. www.gelora.co
- [● 5 SOURCES] The fire spread near the Pondok Bunder area, which is a hiking trail to Ijen Crater. www.mediapatriot.co.id · en.tempo.co
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Haze from forest fires has caused flight delays and cancellations in several Indonesian airports.
- [DISPUTED] Polda Riau has the highest number of suspects with 42 people. nasional.sindonews.com · www.tvsarawak.my · mediaindonesia.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] DMC Dompet Dhuafa has distributed approximately 1,000 masks to residents affected by haze in the Sui Ambawang area. disway.id
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Wildfires in the Mount Semeru area have burned approximately 1,888.91 hectares. www.gelora.co
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Haze from wildfires has caused flight delays and cancellations across Indonesia.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Approximately 20 hectares of land have burned in the Mount Merapi Ungup-Ungup area of Ijen. jatim.jpnn.com
- [● 7 SOURCES] The East Java BBKSDA has temporarily closed tourism at the Ijen Crater Nature Tourism Park. www.mediapatriot.co.id · en.tempo.co · www.liputan6.com