Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. A total of 244 joint officers from the Indonesian National Police (INP), Indonesian Military (TNI), volunteers, and related agencies have been deployed to suppress forest fires on the slopes of Mount Lawu in Karanganyar Regency, Central Java.
Central Java Police Chief Inspector General Roy Hardi Siahaan directly inspected field suppression progress on Saturday (17/10/2026). He noted that ground teams face challenging terrain and limited equipment, currently relying on conventional tools to tackle active hot spots.
To accelerate suppression efforts in inaccessible steep areas, he coordinated with Army Aviation (Penerbad) to secure helicopter support for water bombing operations. Additionally, weather modification technology (TMC) is under consideration in coordination with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).
"The wind is quite strong, and among other measures, we discussed weather modification," Chief Roy said. "However, this depends heavily on assessment results from our colleagues at BMKG."
Regarding the cause of the fire, he said that investigations into potential human negligence remain ongoing. Formal crime scene investigations will be conducted once the location is secured and stabilized by ground firefighting teams.
(mg/ad/pr/rs)
