Wildfire on Indonesia's Mount Lawu spreads to 1,100 hectares

The forest fire on the Indonesian mountain Lawu on the island of Java spread to 1,100 hectares Tuesday, according to an official.

At 3,265 meters above sea level and being one of the destinations for trekkers, the mountain is located on the border of Karanganyar Regency in Central Java province and Magetan and Ngawi Regency in East Java province. No casualties were reported in the incident and the fire was brought under control.

According to East Java's disaster mitigation agency's acting head, Gatot Soebroto, the wildfire was initially ignited in East Java Friday last week, and then spread in Central Java.

"At present, the forest and land fires on Mount Lawu have spread to 1,100 hectares," he told local media on Tuesday, adding that his side will work together with the Central Java disaster mitigation agency to contain the fire using water bombers.

The wildfire has also prompted the Ngawi administration to declare an emergency alert status for two weeks as the region is currently experiencing the dry season.

Meanwhile, Ngawi Police chief Argo Wiyono said his team has been on an investigation to find the cause of the wildfire.