Four people died and two others suffered severe burns while battling a wildfire in a national park on Indonesia’s main island of Java, after they became trapped by thick smoke and rapidly spreading flames, officials said Friday.
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officials → die → smoke
The blaze erupted in recent days in the Mentigen and Pusung Lingker areas of the popular Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java’s Probolinggo regency.
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blaze → erupt → regency
The victims were among a 12-member firefighting team consisting of national park personnel, members of a community fire brigade and local volunteers trying to contain the wildfire on Thursday, said East Java police spokesperson Jules Abraham Abast.
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Abast → consist → Thursday
Strong winds fanned the flames and caused the fire to spread quickly through dry vegetation.
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fire → fan → vegetation
At about 1:30 p.m., firefighters operating outside the danger zone received an emergency call from colleagues who had become trapped by dense smoke and advancing flames, Abast said.
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Abast → operate → smoke
The fire follows a major blaze in August that scorched nearly 9 square kilometers (3.5 square miles) of grassland and vegetation, including protected edelweiss flowers, in the park.
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that → follow → park
Police launch an investigation into the incident
Rescuers later found three people dead and three others suffering severe burns at an evacuation point.
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people → launch → point
One of those suffering burns died while receiving treatment, Abast said.
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Abast → suffer → treatment
Two volunteers remained hospitalized with serious burn injuries after being transferred to Dr. Soetomo General Hospital in Surabaya for specialized treatment.
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volunteers → remain → treatment
Six others escaped unharmed.
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others → escape → ?
“The incident occurred in a remote mountainous area, complicating rescue efforts,” said Probolinggo police chief Asmida Rizki Siregar, who joined emergency crews carrying victims on stretchers for about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) because steep terrain prevented vehicles from reaching the site.
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terrain → occur → site
She said authorities completed the evacuation late Thursday and have launched an investigation into the deaths, including whether negligence or criminal wrongdoing contributed to the tragedy.
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negligence → say → tragedy
Investigators were collecting evidence and interviewing survivors.
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Investigators → collect → survivors
Indonesian wildfires reignite transboundary haze concerns
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wildfires → reignite → concerns
The deaths came as Indonesia intensified efforts to combat forest and land fires that have worsened this year as El Niño intensifies a prolonged dry season.
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Niño → come → season
Contributing factors also include land clearance using fire in the Indonesian part of Borneo and regions of Sumatra Island, as well as water shortages that have hampered Indonesian firefighters, who have received assistance from Japan.
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who → contribute → Japan
Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry recorded 799 hotspots nationwide as of Thursday evening, up sharply from 372 a day earlier.
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Ministry → record → 372
More than three-quarters were concentrated in six fire-prone provinces on Sumatra and Borneo.
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quarters → concentrate → Sumatra
Toxic haze and smoke have caused a health crisis in neighboring countries as well.
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haze → cause → countries
The smoke has drifted as far as the Philippines, more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) away.
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smoke → drift → Philippines
The surge in fires has renewed concerns about transboundary haze across Southeast Asia.
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surge → renew → Asia
Malaysia on Friday ordered hundreds of schools closed in several states because of deteriorating air quality.
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hundreds → order → quality
Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan rejected calls from some lawmakers to seek compensation from Indonesia, saying the crisis should be addressed through diplomatic engagement and ASEAN mechanisms.
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crisis → reject → engagement
He said Malaysia was coordinating assistance for Indonesia and would push for stronger regional cooperation on haze management.
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Malaysia → say → management
Singapore also called for closer cooperation.
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Singapore → call → cooperation
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said authorities were investigating companies allegedly linked to Indonesian forest and peatland fires that have worsened the haze and would pursue action under Singapore’s Transboundary Haze Pollution Act where warranted.
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that → say → Act
Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry recorded more than 2,020 square kilometers (780 square miles) of burned land between January and July, almost three times Singapore’s size.
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Ministry → record → January
The independent Nusantara Atlas project, which monitors fires using satellite imagery, estimated that nearly 8,960 square kilometers (3,460 square miles) of land had burned by the end of August in Indonesia.
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kilometers → monitor → Indonesia
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Associated Press writers Edna Tarigan in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed to this report.
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writers → contribute → report
The Aporia
