20 Hectares of Forest Fire in Inhil Extinguished, Joint Team Continues Cooling Process
Joint personnel have successfully extinguished a forest and land fire (Karhutla) covering approximately 20 hectares in Kayu Raja Village, Keritang District, Indragiri Hilir (Inhil) Regency, Riau. Although the fire points have been extinguished, officers are continuing cooling operations at the site.
As of Friday (4/9/2026) afternoon, no further fire points have been detected. However, cooling efforts are ongoing as several parts of the land are still emitting smoke.
Inhil Police Chief AKBP Donny Eko Listianto stated that the fire was detected after five hotspots were monitored via the Lancang Kuning Application dashboard on Friday morning. A total of 83 joint personnel were deployed, consisting of 4nums4 police officers, two TNI personnel, 16 BPBD personnel, and 20 members of the community.
“After the hotspots were monitored, personnel immediately conducted checks and handling in the field. The affected land area is estimated to be around 20 hectares. Currently, the fire is out, but smoke remains, so cooling is still being carried out,” Donny said in his statement.
To accelerate the response, the team operated 12 units of mini striker machines and approximately 100 rolls of hose. In addition to firefighting and cooling, officers created fire breaks to prevent the fire from spreading to other areas.
The handling process in the field faced obstacles, including difficult access to the location and limited communication networks. Nevertheless, the joint team continued their efforts until the fire was successfully extinguished.
Investigation into the Cause of the Fire
Alongside the firefighting efforts, the Inhil Police are also conducting law enforcement to investigate the cause of the forest fire. At this time, the landowner and any parties suspected of being responsible for the fire are still under investigation.
“We are not only focused on ensuring the fire is completely out. The investigation continues to determine the cause of the fire and who is responsible if criminal elements are found,” he emphasised.
Meanwhile, Riau Regional Police Public Relations Head Kombes Akmadi stated that the handling in Inhil is part of the ongoing efforts by the Riau Regional Police and its ranks to control forest and land fires in several regions.
According to Akmadi, the extinguishing of the fire does not mean that handling should stop immediately. Thorough cooling is necessary to ensure that no part of the land still has the potential to reignite.
“The principle is that every detected point must be immediately responded to and handled thoroughly. After the fire is out, personnel continue to perform cooling and ensure the condition is truly safe,” said Akmadi.
He added that the police ranks are also continuing preventive measures by increasing patrols and reminding the community not to clear or clean land by burning.
“We once again urge the community not to engage in land burning in any form. Prevention must run alongside firefighting and law enforcement so that forest and land fires do not expand again,” concluded Akmadi.