Seven hikers killed by raging forest fire on Indonesian mountain

AP
JAKARTA, OCTOBER 19

Seven hikers have been killed after they were trapped by a forest fire that swept across a mountain on the main Indonesian island of Java.
At least two others are fighting for their lives after suffering serious burns in the fast-moving wildfire that is believed to have been caused by a campfire.
The victims, whose nationalities were not immediately clear, were part of a group climbing the inactive volcano when they were caught up in the fire on Sunday.
The mountain was closed to hikers because of previous wildfires, but officials said they believe the climbers used “unofficial routes” to reach its slopes.
“Seven of them were killed and two others are in critical condition as they sustained around 50% burns,” Agung Lewis, a local disaster agency official, told AFP.
“The area is actually closed for hiking because there had been previous cases of wildfires due to the dry weather, so we suspect these hikers could have used unofficial routes.”
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the disaster agency spokesman, said the blaze was thought to have been caused by a campfire started by hikers and not properly extinguished.
The current dry weather conditions in Indonesia have also exacerbated illegal forest fires set by landowners and agricultural companies to clear land.
The choking haze has also blanketed Singapore, much of Malaysia and parts of southern Thailand, forcing the closure of schools, cancellation of flights, daily health warnings and an evacuation of orangutans.