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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Disasters & Emergencies

West Java temporarily closes mountains to hikers to prevent wildfires

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement New plan
  • West Java has ordered a temporary suspension of mountain hiking to reduce the risk of land and forest fires during the dry season.
  • Governor Dedi Mulyadi cited campfires and discarded cigarette butts as potential causes of fires started by hikers.
  • Fires had affected 228.07 hectares across 156 incidents in West Java by Aug. 31, 2026, with the highest incident totals in Sumedang, Majalengka and Bandung.

West Java has temporarily closed mountain areas to hikers during the dry season after Governor Dedi Mulyadi warned that fires lit by visitors or discarded cigarette butts could ignite wildfires.

“Mountain climbing should be temporarily closed because we are worried that hikers might light fires,” Dedi said on Aug. 31. The instruction directs managers of mountainous areas to suspend hiking activities as a preventive measure.

Data from West Java’s Regional Disaster Management Agency showed that fires had burned 228.07 hectares of land and forest across the province by Aug. 31, 2026. Authorities recorded 156 incidents in 178 villages or urban wards across 107 subdistricts.

Sumedang recorded the most incidents, with 21, followed by Majalengka with 17 and Bandung with 16. By area burned, Sukabumi ranked first with 49.20 hectares, followed by Majalengka with 26.16 hectares and Bandung with 24.80 hectares.

Mountain climbing should be temporarily closed because we are worried that hikers might light fires.

— Dedi MulyadiThe West Java governor explained the temporary hiking closure during the dry season.
About this summary

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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