Mount Bromo National Park in East Java, Indonesia, has been closed to all tourist activities since the evening of August 8, 2026, as a wildfire rapidly expanded within its caldera area [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. The fire began on August 3 and grew from burning 60 hectares on August 6 to about 176 hectares by August 8–9 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].

By August 9–10, the blaze had consumed approximately 550 hectares and was reported extinguished, but new hotspots covering roughly 20 hectares were detected near the caldera [7, 8, 9, 10]. Despite firefighting efforts involving more than 120 personnel, the fire surged again, spreading to nearly 900 hectares (899.35 ha) by August 11 [11, 12]. The park closure has been extended until August 15 in response to the worsening situation [11, 12].

Firefighting teams use water-bombing helicopters—initially three, now two—along with drones and fire trucks to battle the blaze [7, 8, 9, 4, 11, 10]. The wildfire burns in steep, forested terrain difficult to reach on foot, making aerial operations critical. "These conditions make air operations crucial to reach areas that cannot be accessed optimally by land," said Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency [5].

Authorities suspect human activity as the cause after finding the initial flames along a tourist route. Gatot Soebroto, head of the East Java disaster mitigation agency, said, "A person lit a fire, then put it out – but the fire was not fully extinguished" [7, 8, 9, 4, 10]. No casualties or injuries have been reported to date[s1–s9,s12].

The park covers more than 50,000 hectares around active Mount Bromo, a popular volcanic tourist site known for its "sand sea" caldera [1, 3, 7, 8, 9, 5, 6, 10]. Indonesia’s dry season in 2026, prolonged by El Nino conditions, has heightened wildfire risks; about 107,000 hectares have burned nationwide during the year's first half [5, 6]. A similar Bromo wildfire in 2023 destroyed over 500 hectares after a flare used for wedding photography ignited fires [5, 6].

A park operator said, "This closure is a crucial step to maintain safety of visitors, staff and people in the surrounding areas. People who have bought entrance tickets will be able to reschedule visits or seek a refund" [1]. Park authorities continue firefighting efforts as the wildfire threat persists at Mount Bromo.