Fire burns 60 hectares in Indonesia’s Mount Bromo National Park

A fire has destroyed 60 hectares of land in Mount Bromo's national park in Java, Indonesia, since MondayByEDNA TARIGAN Associated PressJAKARTA, Indonesia -- A fire destroyed 60 hectares (148 acres) of land in the Mount Bromo area in a national park in Java, Indonesia’s most populous island, since Monday, officials said on Thursday.The burning area, equivalent to more than 80 soccer fields, is located within the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, one of the most popular tourist destinations in East Java Province.The National Disaster Management Agency in a written statement said that the terrain has posed a significant challenge to firefighting efforts. Local authorities have not yet determined the cause of the fire.“A number of hot spots are located on the slopes of Bromo, which are steep and difficult for ground-based firefighters to reach. In addition, strong winds in the area have the potential to accelerate the spread of the fire,” Abdul Muhari, the agency’s spokesperson, said in the statement Thursday.He added that the agency deployed two water-bombing helicopters on Thursday to help extinguish hotspots located on steep slopes that are difficult for ground teams to reach.The ...