JAKARTA, Aug 9 — Indonesian authorities have closed access to a national park on Java island as firefighters battle a wildfire that has raged for nearly a week.

The blaze has razed 176 hectares (435 acres) since breaking out on Monday in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, near the popular East Java tourist destination of Mount Bromo, a disaster official said.

Authorities barred visitors from entering the park late Saturday until further notice.

No injuries or property damage have been reported, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari.

Two water-bombing helicopters have been deployed to douse flames in areas difficult for firefighters to reach because of steep slopes and strong winds, he said in a statement Sunday.

“These conditions make air operations important to reach areas that cannot be accessed optimally by land,” the official said.

A blaze destroyed more than 500 hectares of land on Mount Bromo in 2023 when a couple lit a flare during a pre-wedding photo shoot.

Indonesia is projected to experience a more intense and prolonged dry season this year, raising the risk of wildfires and drought, partly due to the El Nino weather phenomenon, weather agency BMKG said.

More than 107,000 hectares of land burned in Indonesia in the first half of this year, over twice the area destroyed in wildfires in 2023.

El Nino is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon that brings worldwide changes in winds, air pressure and rainfall patterns.

It usually causes drier conditions in Southeast Asia and India. — AFP