Indonesia, Sept. 1 -- Hiking trails on Mount Tambora in Indonesia's West Nusa Tenggara have been temporarily closed from September 1 because of heightened forest-fire risks during the dry season, national park authorities said on Tuesday.

Tambora National Park Authority chief Abdul Azis Bakry said the closure follows a national directive restricting mountain tourism in conservation areas vulnerable to dry-season fires.

Online monitoring and field patrols have detected several fire hotspots at locations across the national park, Bakry said.

He said the hotspots were among the main reasons authorities decided to temporarily suspend hiking activities on Mount Tambora.

Restricting access aims to reduce human activity that could accidental...