Central Java closes all hiking trails after Lawu-Sumbing fires
The shutdown took effect from the Oct. 21 letter and has no end date as air and ground crews continue battling the blazes on both mountains.
The Central Java provincial government has asked all mountain trail managers in the region to temporarily close access after forest and land fires hit Mount Lawu and Mount Sumbing. A letter from Central Java DLHK numbered S/500.4/891/2026 and dated Oct. 21, 2026 was sent to managers of national parks, Taman Hutan Raya and Perhutani, with copies to the governor, Central Java Police and Military Regional Command IV/Diponegoro. DLHK said the closure took effect when the letter was issued and has no end date. The provincial government said the fires were suspected to have been caused by human negligence. On Sumbing, officers evacuated 152 climbers. On Lawu, firefighting continued by land and through water bombing, while one helicopter was proposed to be redeployed to help handle the Sumbing blaze.