Wildfire in Indonesia's Bromo national park kills four people fighting it
Four people died fighting a wildfire on Thursday in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in Indonesia's East Java, AP and AFP reported. They were trapped by thick smoke and fast-moving flames. AFP said two were park officers and two were security guards helping them, and AP said police are investigating the deaths.
Four people died and two others were badly burned while fighting a wildfire on Thursday in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park on Java, Indonesia's main island, AP and AFP reported. They had been trapped by thick smoke and flames, the outlets said.
The victims were part of a 12-member team of national park staff, community fire brigade members and local volunteers, East Java police spokesperson Jules Abraham Abast said, according to AP. Strong winds pushed the fire quickly through dry plants. At about 1:30 p.m., firefighters outside the danger zone got an emergency call from trapped colleagues, Abast said.
Two of the dead were national park officers and two were security guards helping them, national park spokesman Endrip Wahyutama said, according to AFP. Three died at the scene and a fourth later in hospital, AFP reported. AP said two volunteers remain in a hospital in Surabaya with serious burns. AFP said a volunteer firefighter and a security guard from a nearby hotel who had also helped were being treated.
"The incident occurred in a remote mountainous area, complicating rescue efforts," said Probolinggo police chief Asmida Rizki Siregar, AP reported. Rescuers carried victims on stretchers for about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) because vehicles could not reach the site. She said police are investigating whether negligence or criminal wrongdoing played a part.
"This incident serves as a reminder that forest and land fire extinguishing is a high-risk operation," Indonesia's forestry ministry said, according to AFP.
The deaths came as Indonesia battles fires that have worsened this year as El Niño deepens a long dry season, AP reported. The ministry counted 799 hotspots nationwide by Thursday evening, up from 372 a day earlier, both outlets reported. AFP said most were in Central Kalimantan on Borneo, followed by southern Sumatra. Smoke from the fires has spread haze to neighboring countries, and Malaysia ordered hundreds of schools closed Friday, AP reported.
The park fire follows a large blaze there in August that burned nearly 9 square kilometers (3.5 square miles) of grassland and plants, including protected edelweiss flowers, AP said.
What we know: Four people died fighting the fire, and police are investigating.
What we don't: What caused the fire and whether anyone will be held responsible.
Where outlets agree AP and AFP both report that four people died after being trapped by flames and thick smoke while fighting the fire in the park.
Where they differ The outlets cited here report the same key facts so far.