Mount Merapi closed to hikers due to forest fires

JAKARTA. The hiking and activity tracks within Mount Merapi National Park have been closed and will remain closed until the end of this month, as a result of recent forest fires on the slopes of the mountain, an official said on Tuesday.

Tri Atmojo, administration staff at the national park, said the tracks, closed on Nov. 2, were expected to be closed through to Nov. 30.

Management decided to close the tracks following the fires in the national park in order to prevent any casualties.

"We had to ask 250 hikers to go down from the mountain during the fire on Sunday and so we have closed the tracks, for safety," he told newsportal kompas.com.

Tri said that his office had also prohibited camping activities in Mount Merapi National Park.

"We won't allow any activities that require staying overnight in the national park. This is for human safety and also to ensure the rehabilitation of the Merapi ecosystem," he said.

Park officials will be assigned to monitor hiking tracks and the surrounding forest area to make sure that it is clear of any activity.

There were two hot spots detected in the Mount Merapi peak area on Monday afternoon. The fires initially started in the Boyolali district of Central Java and spread to dry savanna and pine forest in Magelang district.

There were 100 officers from the regional disaster mitigation agency (BPPD) and the Indonesian Military (TNI) working together to put out the fire.

Sujadi, head of Magelang BPPD, said their initial suspicions regarding the fire involved humans, but did not elaborate further.

"We continue to ask people to be aware, because, in a prolonged fire season, fires are likely. Help us maintain the forest ecosystem, to ensure we keep the oxygen supply fresh," he said as quoted by kompas.com.