A late-afternoon bush fire on the cliff face of Bali’s Nusa Penida, which overlooks the famous Kelingking Beach, briefly hindered a group of 25 tourists and prevented them from climbing back up to the top of the magnificent ridge.
The bush fire at Nusa Penida, Kelingking Beach, started on Sunday, the 30th of July 2023, at 4:30 p.m., according to a local news report.
The fire, which had an unknown source, swiftly spread, aided by strong offshore winds. The fire destroyed about two hectares of property in the Kelingking Beach area, including the narrow stairs that guests frequently use to access the beach.
Police Commissioner Ida Bagus Putra Sumerta, who oversees the Nusa Penida Police Precinct, explained the issue that was caused by the pedestrian staircase’s significance to the brush fire, saying: “The (fire) resulted in tourists on the beach being stranded, unable to reascend the cliff.”
One hour after the fire started, one fire truck arrived on the spot and started putting out the flames from the top of Kelingking Beach’s cliff.
Police, military personnel, and locals converged on Kelingking Beach due to the group of tourists stuck there.
The 25 tourists were able to return to the top of the cliff the following evening with the assistance of police when the fire was finally put out. With a water reservoir run by the Public Water Department of Klungkung (PDAM-Klungkung), a fire truck supplied water to extinguish the fire.
Zacharie, a French national who was one of the 25 tourists, received a slight head injury from a rock that crashed during the chaotic bushfire.
Local authorities suspect a dropped cigarette may have started the fire; however, the exact reason for this bush fire at Nusa Penida, Kelingking Beach, is still under investigation.
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