Small fire burns 5 are in Mount Batur nature tourism area

Bangli — A small forest fire burned around 5 are of land in the Pura Jati block of the Mount Batur Bukit Payang Nature Tourism Area in Batur Tengah village, Kintamani, on Friday, 18 September 2026, according to local media reports.

The affected site lies within a conservation forest zone of the nature tourism park. No casualties or damage to public facilities were reported.

Fire detected and initial response

According to reports, the fire was first noticed at about 12:15 WITA by a local resident, I Ketut Kecir, 66, who was carrying out religious community work (ngayah) at Pura Jati.

He saw flames emerging from dry scrubland to the north of the temple, which then spread quickly through parched undergrowth and vegetation including tiblun trees and forest casuarinas.

Residents initially tried to suppress the fire using simple equipment and then alerted the Kintamani Forest Conservation Management Unit (KPHK Kintamani), local police and other authorities.

Joint firefighting effort

Personnel from KPHK Kintamani, Kintamani Police, the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) and the Indonesian military arrived at the site at around 12:30 WITA, roughly 15 minutes after the incident was reported, according to statements carried by local outlets.

Working with local residents, they fought the fire using a local irrigation pipe and tree branches to prevent the flames spreading further through the conservation area.

The blaze was brought under control at about 13:00 WITA, around 45 minutes after it was first observed. Following the main extinguishing effort, the Bangli Fire and Rescue Service dispatched one fire truck and six personnel to conduct cooling operations and reduce the risk of re-ignition.

Burned area and suspected cause

Cokorda Lanang Mahendra, head of the firefighting division of Bangli’s Fire and Rescue Agency, said the burned area was estimated at 5 are.

Mahendra stated that the preliminary suspicion was that the fire was triggered by negligence by a resident or road user who may have discarded a cigarette butt in the dry forest area, though he noted that the exact cause remained undetermined and under investigation.

Local police similarly reported that while the blaze was thought to be linked to careless disposal of a cigarette in dry vegetation, the definitive cause had not been established.

Tourism access and wider context

Available reports on the incident do not mention any closure of hiking routes on Mount Batur, restrictions on access to Pura Jati, or disruption to visitor services in the Mount Batur nature tourism area following the fire.

The incident occurred during a dry period when scrub and undergrowth in the conservation forest were highly flammable, contributing to the rapid spread of the flames before they were contained.

Authorities and residents have reported repeated fire incidents in forest areas around Mount Batur during the dry season, and conservation agencies have called for early reporting of smoke or fire to limit damage in the nature tourism park.

Sources

• NusaBali - Kebakaran Landa TWA Gunung Batur Blok Pura Jati
• Bali Post - Diduga Akibat Puntung Rokok, Hutan TWA Gunung Batur Terbakar
• BKSDA Bali - Jaga Kawasan, Jaga Kehidupan: BKSDA Bali Perkuat Aksi Bersama Cegah Karhutla
• RRI Denpasar - Puncak Kemarau, Lereng Gunung Batur Rawan Karhutla