JAKARTA, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Indonesia has closed Mount Bromo national park in East Java for all tourist activities, its operator said late on Saturday, as a wildfire, burning since Monday, expanded in its caldera area.
• The closure took effect from Saturday evening, for an undetermined duration, the park operator said on its official Instagram page.
• The raging fire has burned an area of around 176 hectares (434.91 acres) at Mount Bromo, an active volcano that is a popular tourist destination known for its "sand sea" caldera. The wildfire has expanded from around 60 hectares on Thursday.
• "This closure is a crucial step to maintain safety of visitors, staff and people in the surrounding areas," it said, adding that people who have bought entrance tickets will be able to reschedule visits or seek a refund.
• East Java's disaster mitigation agency said authorities are deploying water bombing helicopters and water spraying drones to bolster efforts to extinguish the fire.
• Footage uploaded by the park's operator on social media showed fire spreading across the slopes of the mountain overnight.
• Authorities have not declared what caused the fire, and there have been no casualties reported.
(Reporting by Fransiska Nangoy; Editing by Sonali Paul)
