Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said water-bombing helicopters have been optimised to extinguish the fire on Mount Bromo in East Java, especially in hillside areas that cannot be reached by combined teams through ground routes. Three helicopters have been operating for two days prior, he said.
Raja Juli said the water-bombing operation that day targeted 30 runs, although aerial extinguishing had been carried out 17 times so far. The effectiveness of aerial firefighting depends on weather conditions, particularly wind gusts that can hamper the fire-fighting process.
The combined team also continued extinguishing efforts through ground routes and created firebreaks spanning six kilometres to prevent the fire from spreading to new areas. Raja Juli noted that the previous day's expansion of the fire was caused by the steep terrain and extremely high winds that caused the flames to jump.
To improve the efficiency of the response, Raja Juli added that an incident commander had been appointed to ensure firefighting operations at the location proceeded in a more structured manner and coordination in the field improved.
