20150617 Indonesia Forest fire at Mt. Sumbing caused by climbers’ campfire
Indonesia Jun 17 2015 “Forest”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 0 or unknown Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Forest fire at Mt. Sumbing caused by climbers’ campfire
Updated: 2015-06-17 11:46
The head of the Kedu Utara forest unit, Iwan Setiawan, is confirming that a forest fire that engulfed parts of a protected forest on Mount Sumbing was caused by the remains of a campfire that had not been fully extinguished by climbers.
Burning wood left by the climbers set forest vegetation alight in the dry season, devastating about 15 hectares of protected forest in the Kalinangkrik district, Magelang regency, Central Java, Iwan said on Tuesday.
Iwan explained the fire started at around 8 a.m. on Tuesday and was extinguished by 1 p.m. by rangers from Magelang and Temanggung. No casualties were reported from the incident.
“We urge climbers to be careful in setting campfires. They should have ensured that the fire was fully extinguished before leaving the campsite. They should not be reckless in throwing away cigarette butts or setting garbage on fire either because during the dry season the vegetation is very inflammable,” he said as quoted by kompas.com.
He further said that all relevant parties would hold a coordination meeting, especially with regards to efforts to safeguard the mountain’s protected forests.
During the fire, all climbing and trekking to the peak of Mt. Sumbing was temporarily halted. (hhr)(+++)
Web Source: The Jakarta Post
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/17/forest-fire-mt-sumbing-caused-climbers-campfire.html