Asia Pacific
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Indonesia closes all access to Mount Bromo as wildfire expands
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Channel NewsAsia Asia Pacific News
JAKARTA: Indonesia has closed Mount Bromo national park in East Java for all tourist activities, its operator said late on Saturday (Aug 8) as a wildfire, burning since Monday, expanded in its caldera area.
The closure took effect from Saturday evening, for an undetermined duration, the park operator said on its official Instagram page.
The raging fire has burned an area of around 176ha at Mount Bromo, an active volcano that is a popular tourist destination known for its "sand sea" caldera.
The wildfire has expanded from around 60ha on Thursday.
"This closure is a crucial step to maintain safety of visitors, staff and people in the surrounding areas," the operator said, adding that people who have bought entrance tickets will be able to reschedule visits or seek a refund.