Four Dead, Two Critically Burned as Wildfire Ravages Indonesia’s Mount Bromo National Park

A wildfire in Indonesia’s popular Mount Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park turned deadly after rapidly spreading flames and thick smoke trapped a team of firefighters and volunteers, killing four people and leaving two others with severe burn injuries.

The victims were part of a 12-member firefighting team comprising national park personnel, community fire brigade members and local volunteers who were trying to contain the blaze on Thursday in the Mentigen and Pusung Lingker areas of East Java’s Probolinggo regency.

According to East Java police spokesperson Jules Abraham Abast, strong winds caused the fire to spread rapidly through dry vegetation. At around 1.30 pm, colleagues working outside the danger zone received an emergency call from the trapped team as dense smoke and advancing flames cut off their escape.

Rescuers later found three people dead and three others suffering severe burns at an evacuation point. One of the injured subsequently died during treatment. Two volunteers were transferred to Dr Soetomo General Hospital in Surabaya for specialised care, while six other team members escaped unharmed.

The remote, mountainous terrain complicated rescue operations, forcing emergency crews to carry victims on stretchers for nearly two kilometres because vehicles could not reach the site. Probolinggo police chief Asmida Rizki Siregar said the evacuation was completed late Thursday.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the deaths, examining whether negligence or criminal wrongdoing contributed to the tragedy. Investigators are collecting evidence and questioning survivors.

The disaster comes amid a worsening wildfire season in Indonesia, where prolonged dry conditions, intensified by El Niño, have increased the risk of forest and land fires. The Forestry Ministry recorded 799 fire hotspots nationwide on Thursday evening, more than double the 372 reported a day earlier. More than three-quarters were concentrated in six fire-prone provinces on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.

The fires have also intensified concerns over toxic haze across Southeast Asia. Smoke has reportedly travelled as far as the Philippines, while Malaysia ordered hundreds of schools closed in several states on Friday because of deteriorating air quality.

Singapore has called for stronger regional cooperation and is investigating companies allegedly linked to fires in Indonesia under its transboundary haze pollution law.

Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry recorded more than 2,020 square kilometres of burned land between January and July, while independent satellite monitoring estimated that nearly 8,960 square kilometres had burned by the end of August.

The latest deaths highlight the growing dangers faced by emergency crews as worsening fire conditions threaten protected ecosystems, public health and communities across the region.