Fire Spreads from Kuningan to Majalengka
Forest and land fires (karhutla) in the Gunung Ciremai National Park (TNGC) area, Kuningan Regency, West Java, expanded on Friday (23/10/2026). The fire that was initially estimated to have burned around 5 hectares has now spread to dozens of hectares and crept into the Majalengka Regency area.
The Head of the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) of Kuningan Regency, Indra Bayu, confirmed the fire had spread to the Majalengka area. Video recordings circulating on social media showed hotspots and plumes of smoke in the hilly area bordering the two regencies.
Chairman of the Silihwangi Majakuning Fire Care Community (MPA), Nandar Juniar Arif, said the fire moved from Grid 15 M of the Pasawahan Resort toward the Gunung Dulang and Tagog Anjing areas, which directly border the Masawah Block in Majalengka Regency. The fire's spread was reported to have occurred since Thursday night (22/10/2026), accelerated by dry land conditions and strong winds.
Steep Terrain and Wind Become Obstacles
Firefighting efforts have been hampered by several hotspots located at altitudes of more than 1,000 meters above sea level, making access difficult for personnel. "This is among the fairly large ones because it is at an altitude above 1,000 now," said Indra Bayu in the TNGC area, Friday (23/10/2026).
Besides rugged and rocky terrain, changes in wind direction and speed also affect the movement of the fire and make it difficult for personnel to determine an appropriate extinguishing method. The fire was initially spotted in a traditional zone area with community activity, but the exact cause of the blaze has not yet been confirmed.
Indra emphasized that the handling is prioritized to prevent the fire from spreading from the traditional zone to the jungle zone and up to the core zone of the TNGC area. The handling status remains an emergency alert and will be evaluated within the next one to two days.
Dedi Mulyadi Steps In, Prepares 3 Helicopters
West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi came to monitor and help extinguish the fire at Mount Ciremai National Park on Thursday (22/10/2026). He called on communities and villagers to work together to create firebreaks to prevent the fire from spreading, with an honorarium of Rp250,000 per person per day for those involved.
Dedi also coordinated the creation of artificial rain with BMKG and prepared three helicopters for water bombing operations. "And finally today the helicopters will soon depart from Bogor, one to Kertajati, two to Sukani Majalengka Base," said Dedi, Friday (23/10/2026). The deployment of helicopters was carried out after he coordinated with the Deputy Minister of Defense, the TNI Commander, and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force.
Dedi claimed the fire in the Mount Ciremai area has begun to be brought under control after its spread was successfully isolated, but firefighting efforts have not been halted because all hotspots must be confirmed as handled to prevent them from flaring up again.
100 Combined Personnel Deployed
A joint force of around 100 personnel was deployed to handle the fire, consisting of the Kuningan Regency BPBD, West Java BPBD, Mount Ciremai National Park Center (BTNGC), Fire Care Community, TNI/Polri, Satpol PP, Kuningan Regency Fire Department, nature lover community volunteers, and local residents.
West Java Province's Public Relations reported that joint personnel had successfully extinguished some of the hotspots in the TNGC area. Firebreaks have also been created along the fire's edge to prevent it from spreading to dense vegetation areas.
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