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Mount Lawu Wildfire Hits 100 Hectares, Emergency Status Being Processed

Stateline MEDIA Newsroom•October 18, 2026•3 min read

Forest and land fires on the slopes of Mount Lawu, Karanganyar Regency, Central Java, have burned around 100 hectares since Thursday (15/10/2026). The Karanganyar Regency Government is processing a disaster emergency status, while Central Java Police Chief Insp. Gen. Roy Hardi Siahaan is coordinating water bombing and weather modification to extinguish the fire.

Key Facts

Forest and land fires (karhutla) on the slopes of Mount Lawu, Karanganyar Regency, Central Java, have burned around 100 hectares of forest and grassland since Thursday (15/10/2026).
By Saturday (17/10/2026), the number of fire spots had grown from four to five. Thermal drone monitoring detected around 11 hotspots scattered across the affected area.
The Karanganyar Regency Government is processing a disaster emergency status so that response efforts can be coordinated in a more integrated way across agencies.
Central Java Police Chief Insp. Gen. Roy Hardi Siahaan visited the Mount Lawu Fire Response Joint Post in Gondosuli Village, Tawangmangu District, on Saturday (17/10/2026). A total of 244 joint personnel from the Police, military, BPBD, Perhutani, Basarnas, and volunteers were deployed.
The police chief is coordinating with Army Aviation for helicopter water bombing support, and with the BNPB and BMKG on possible weather modification.
The initial suspected cause of the fire is human negligence, but the definite cause cannot be confirmed until a crime scene examination is conducted.

Affected Area Reaches 100 Hectares as Fire Spots Multiply

Forest and land fires on the slopes of Mount Lawu, Karanganyar Regency, Central Java, continue to spread. Since Thursday (15/10/2026), the flames have scorched around 100 hectares of forest and grassland.

Acting Head of the Karanganyar Disaster Agency (BPBD), Sugiharjo, said that by Saturday (17/10/2026), the number of fire spots had increased from four to five. Thermal drone monitoring also detected around 11 hotspots spread across the affected area.

The direction of the fire's movement is the joint team's main concern. The largest fire spot is being monitored south of Punthuk Gede, and the fire tongues are estimated to be heading toward the Cemoro Kandang climbing trail with the potential to spread into Ngargoyoso District.

Emergency Status Being Processed, Water Bombing Prepared

The Karanganyar Regency Government is processing a disaster emergency status so that the response can be coordinated in a more integrated manner according to each agency's authority.

Central Java Police Chief Insp. Gen. Roy Hardi Siahaan visited the Joint Post in Gondosuli Village, Tawangmangu District, on Saturday (17/10/2026). A total of 244 joint personnel from the Police, military, BPBD, Perhutani, Basarnas, and volunteers were deployed.

Difficult terrain and strong winds are the main obstacles, so firefighting still relies on conventional equipment. The police chief is coordinating with Army Aviation for helicopter water bombing support and with BMKG for possible weather modification. A day earlier, on Friday (16/10/2026), 350 personnel were temporarily withdrawn from the mountain peak because wind conditions endangered the safety of officers.

The police chief suspects human negligence as the cause of the fire, but confirmation awaits a crime scene examination. He urged the public not to carry out open burning and to report any fire spots immediately.