30 Hectares of Land Burn in Rohil, Police Chief Joins Firefighting Effort

A forest and land fire (karhutla) covering 30 hectares occurred in Rokan Hilir District (Rohil), Riau. Rohil Police Chief AKBP Isa Imam Syahroni took direct action in extinguishing the land fire.

“Carrying out firefighting and cooling efforts on land affected by karhutla in Tanah Putih Subdistrict, Rohil, with full enthusiasm despite being in the sacred month of Ramadhan, as a manifestation of the National Police’s dedication to the community in protecting the environment and preventing the spread of forest and land fires,” said AKBP Isa on Saturday, 14 March 2026.

The karhutla response was conducted from 11.00 WIB onwards until completion. The firefighting operation was attended by Deputy Police Chief Kompol Rikky Operiady, Operations Chief Kompol Eduar Pardosi, and other Rohil Police officials.

The burned land is located along the Riau-North Sumatra trunk road in Ujung Tanjung Village and Rantau Bais Village in Tanah Putih Subdistrict, Rohil District. The burned land was owned by the Kelompok Tani Rantau Bais Terpadu (KTRBT) farming group.

Other personnel involved came from Tanah Putih Police Station, Bangko Pusako Police Station, Bagan Sinembah Police Station, TNI members, officials from Tanah Putih Subdistrict, village heads, and local residents.

“Carrying out direct firefighting at the fire location using firefighting equipment such as water pump engines and hoses operated by combined personnel,” he said.

After the fire was extinguished, the combined team continued cooling operations on the burned land areas by spraying and soaking the soil, particularly on peatland, to ensure no embers remained.

Cooling efforts were conducted because faint smoke still appeared at several points. The cooling process continued to ensure all embers were completely extinguished and undetected on the Lancang Kuning Dashboard.

Rohil Police, together with relevant agencies, also increased patrols and issued appeals to residents not to clear land by burning to prevent future forest and land fires. Additionally, officers provided education to communities to help prevent karhutla.

“Issuing appeals and conducting outreach to residents around the location not to clear land by burning, which can trigger karhutla, and if found to have committed such offences, they will face sanctions under applicable law,” he said.