The Mount Gede Pangrango National Park Authority stated that around 150 combined personnel and volunteers are still working to extinguish the fire burning land at the Wadon crater, with the burnt area continuing to expand. As the operation entered its second day, the number of personnel and volunteers continued to grow to assist the extinguishing efforts in the increasingly spreading area.
Combined personnel consisting of the military and police, Cianjur Fire Department, Cianjur BPBD (regional disaster management agency), and volunteers from various organisations used manual methods to extinguish the fire burning around six hectares of land. Ade Bagja, spokesperson for the Mount Gede Pangrango National Park Authority, said the difficult-to-reach location and the large number of dry trees that easily catch fire had become obstacles in the extinguishing operation.
Strong winds blowing from morning to evening caused the fire to spread rapidly to other areas, particularly to locations difficult for personnel and volunteers to reach. Ombing, a Cianjur BPBD officer, said the strong wind conditions and limited equipment caused the fire to spread quickly.
Based on preliminary investigation, Ade Bagja said the fire was suspected to be caused by natural factors. Grass and trees that had dried out caught fire due to high temperatures at the Wadon crater, triggering the fire that spread to surrounding vegetation. The authority is still awaiting reports from personnel and teams in the field to determine the exact cause of the fire.
