A dust devil swirled a fire several metres into the air after a blaze burnt through 500 hectares on Mount Bromo, Indonesia.

Footage shows thrilled locals watching on as flames were whipped up into the vortex on September 10.

Further clips show smoke billowing into the air as the inferno burnt near an area nicknamed Teletubbies Hill due to its resemblance to the children's TV show.

The fire was reportedly started by visitors using flares during a pre-wedding photoshoot.

Local police released a statement that reads: "Police have named the manager of the wedding organiser as a suspect, while five other people are still witnesses."

A dust devil fire appears in the savannah fire area of Mount Bromo in Indonesia.

Footage from 10 September, shows, the fire tower at the savannah fire on Mount Bromo's 'Teletubbies Hill' in Probolinggo Regency, East Java Province.

Additional footage shows the widespread impact of the fire from a distance, and officers deployed to extinguish the fire.

The fire was reportedly started by visitors using flares during a pre-wedding photo shoot on Wednesday (6/9).

The fire then spread, forcing authorities to close the popular tourist destination of Mount Bromo and its surroundings to visitors.

Authorities are currently working to extinguish the fire, which has burned at least 500 hectares of land in the tourist area.

"Police have named the manager of the wedding organiser as a suspect, while five other people are still witnesses," Probolinggo Resort police chief (Kapolres), Adjunct Police Commissioner (AKBP) Wisnu Wardana, said in a written statement on Tuesday 12 September 2023.