Wildfires in Indonesia's Arjuno-Welirang mountains successfully extinguished

Firefighters have successfully extinguished the wildfires that raged in the Arjuno-Welirang mountain range in East Java, Indonesia. The fires, which had affected the Raden Soerjo Grand Forest Park, were declared out on Friday, August 21, 2026.

Gatot Soebroto, head of the East Java Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), confirmed that joint teams managed to douse all remaining fire sources. The final hotspots were located in the Lembah Kijang and Kembar 2 areas. "They are all extinguished, the last ones in the Lembah Kijang and Kembar 2 areas. Today, the ground teams worked to extinguish embers in those areas," Gatot stated.

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They are all extinguished, the last ones in the Lembah Kijang and Kembar 2 areas. Today, the ground teams worked to extinguish embers in those areas.

Efforts to combat the blaze included aerial support via water-bombing helicopters. However, adverse weather conditions, specifically thick fog that suddenly descended, hampered the operation. The fog forced the helicopters to return to their base at Abdulrachman Saleh Airport in Malang Regency for safety reasons. "Water bombing was carried out once, but due to the foggy weather, the helicopter returned to Abdulrachman Saleh in the afternoon," Gatot explained.

Despite the successful extinguishment, authorities will maintain a vigilant watch. Ground teams will continue to patrol the conservation area to detect any residual embers that could potentially reignite. Aerial firefighting scenarios will also remain on standby should smoke reappear. The Arjuno-Welirang hiking trails were temporarily closed since August 19, 2026, and will reopen once deemed safe.

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Water bombing was carried out once, but due to the foggy weather, the helicopter returned to Abdulrachman Saleh in the afternoon.