Jakarta. A wildfire in and around Mount Bromo in East Java continued into its eighth day on Monday, with flames flaring up again at a site in Probolinggo regency as authorities maintained a total closure of the popular tourist destination.

The latest fire was reported at Puncak 30 in Sumber district, within the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS). Probolinggo Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) chief Oemar Sjarief said the hotspot had previously been relatively small but grew significantly on Monday morning, burning forest and other vegetation.

"The hotspot at Puncak 30 was previously relatively small, but the flames grew on Monday morning and burned forest and other land in the area," Oemar said.

Joint firefighting teams continued efforts to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading, using both ground and aerial operations.

On the ground, firefighters are manually beating flames with branches and other tools while water tankers spray affected areas. Crews are also deploying drones equipped with water-spraying systems to reach fire hotspots that are difficult to access.

Three helicopters have been deployed for water-bombing operations, particularly in areas where rugged terrain makes it difficult for ground crews to operate.

"Officers are continuing to extinguish the remaining fires until they are completely out," Oemar said.

As of Monday, fires were still detected at two main locations: Puncak 30 in Probolinggo and the Dengklek area in Tosari district, Pasuruan regency. Firefighters in Pasuruan were also continuing efforts to contain the blaze.

The wildfire has burned approximately 520 hectares of land across several areas during the past eight days, according to authorities.

Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said on Sunday that firefighting operations would continue until all remaining fires were extinguished. He said helicopter water-bombing operations would be maximized whenever weather and visibility conditions allowed.

"We will continue water bombing until the fire is completely out. If weather conditions permit, a single helicopter can make up to 30 drops a day," Antoni said during an inspection of the affected area.

Antoni visited the wildfire zone with Probolinggo Regent Muhammad Haris and monitored aerial firefighting operations.

The rugged terrain around Bromo has complicated efforts by ground crews, making aerial operations necessary in some locations. Firefighters are also monitoring areas that continue to produce smoke and extinguishing embers to prevent the flames from reigniting.

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