Evacuees from Mt. Agung return home after realizing falling ash is from fires on volcano’s slopes but local residents urged to remain alert

A photo posted to Instagram that appears to be fire lighting up Bali’s Mt. Agung volcano. Photo via Info Karangasem
A photo posted to Instagram that appears to be fire lighting up Bali’s Mt. Agung volcano. Photo via Info Karangasem

Fires blazing along the slopes of Bali’s Mt. Agung, but the flames were not caused by recent volcanic activity, say officials.

The wildfires had sent dust and ash in the air, causing some local residents to evacuate for fear the volcano was erupting. But many of the evacuees have returned home, now that the debris in the air has been declared to be from fires rather than an eruption.

“The fires have nothing to do with increased volcanic activity on Mt. Agung,” head of Bali Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), Dewa Indra said on Tuesday, as quoted by Antara Bali.

Agung, Bali’s highest peak, has showed increased activity lately, with its alert status getting upgraded two times in the past week. Tremors have reportedly been increasing from Agung for the past month and the volcano is currently a level III (standby) alert.

So of course, when people saw smoke and ash coming from the mountain, they feared the worst and took off.

But now a reported total of 35 residents from Sebudi Village, who evacuated to Klungkung Police on Tuesday have already returned home. Sebudi is at the foot of Mt. Agung and is the main point where hikers usually depart from before trekking the mountain. 

“The evacuees have already returned to their homes this morning. Last night we accommodated them,” Klungkung Police spokesman Insp. I Nyoman Sarjana said.

The forest and land fires, which burned since Monday around Kubu to the north and northeast of the crater, are believed to have been a result of extremely arid conditions. Wildfire similarly scorched the slopes of Mt. Agung in 2014, burning hundreds of hectares

Satellites picked up eleven “hotspots” or points of fire around the Agung crater in the past 24 hours, according to BPBD.

“Reports from field officers are still ongoing. The forest and land fires have been ongoing since morning around Mt. Agung. It’s possible that the ash from the burning land was picked up and carried by wind,” said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Data and Public Information Center. 

However, just because yesterday’s brief evacuation was only due to a “fire scare,” Bali’s governor is urging surrounding communities to be careful about the spread of misinformation (like with the fire), but still be ready to pick up and evacuate if the conditions call for it.

“Regarding the condition of Mt. Agung, currently at the standby level, I urge people to stay calm, do not panic, follow instructions given by the government.

“If asked to evacuate, yes follow please, for the good of us all,” Pastika said during a meeting at BPBD Karangasem on Tuesday.



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