Collaborative Efforts to Tackle Forest and Land Fires in Central Kalimantan

Approximately 40 people worked together to extinguish forest and land fires in Kanyala Village, Telawang District, East Kotawaringin Regency, Central Kalimantan, on Thursday (10/9/2026). Peatlands owned by local residents have been burning for the past two days.

Several officers extinguished the flames using hoses from fire engines, while others used excavators to create firebreaks, and some used buckets to douse the flames. On several occasions, helicopters also dropped water from the air using the water bombing method.

This effort is an initiative by Musim Mas Group alongside the local community to extinguish forest and land fires in the Central Kalimantan region. This follows widespread fires that have affected parts of Kalimantan over the last two months.

Suparman, Assistant Head of Training Centre at Musim Mas Group and Coordinator of the Musim Mas Group Firefighting Team, stated that the fires have been affecting Kanyala Village for the past two days. Since then, a firefighting team of approximately 50 people under his direct leadership has been deployed to the site to manage the situation.

“Because we want to extinguish the fire quickly, so the community can breathe fresh air and we can freely carry out our work and other activities,” he said at the affected site on Thursday afternoon.

He explained that the company is not only conducting ground operations. One helicopter unit has also been deployed for water bombing, as there are burnt areas that are difficult to reach from the ground.

Nevertheless, the team has faced several obstacles in the firefighting efforts. One of the primary challenges is the dwindling availability of water.

Suparlaman revealed that the distance from the water source to the fire site ranges from 500 metres to 1 kilometre. Consequently, the company had to deploy fire engines to pump water from the nearest source.

“Therefore, we are using water tanker trucks to fetch water,” he said.

According to observations at the location, thick smoke covers the burnt area. The intense heat during the dry season also easily exhausts the energy of the officers. However, the personnel continue their efforts to extinguish the fire rapidly.

As the flames began to subside, several officers took a brief rest. However, shortly after, the fire re-emerged from the smoking land, as the area consists of peatland, which is relatively difficult to extinguish.

Despite this, the firefighting personnel, who are employees of Musim Mas Group, continued their efforts to put out the fire. “Whatever happens in the field, whatever problems arise, we immediately anticipate and coordinate with our leadership, regarding water or other matters,” said Suparman.

The firefighting efforts in Kanyala Village are not the first undertaken by Musim Mas Group. For the past two months, company employees have been assigned special duties to tackle forest and land fires.

Bangun Hapsoro, Survey Manager of Musim Mas Group and Coordinator for Forest and Land Fire Management for the Kalimantan region, stated that fire prevention is a corporate commitment. Therefore, Musim Mas has taken the initiative to assist in tackling the fires currently affecting Central Kalimantan, even outside the company’s concessions.

He revealed that the company is not only conducting ground operations but is also using helicopters for water bombing at the affected sites.

“Currently, we have several teams spread across the Kalimantan region working to extinguish the massive fires and conducting water bombing,” said Bangun.

He noted that 1,000 personnel, all of whom are company employees, have been deployed for fire management. The company has also deployed 16 fire engine units and one helicopter for water bombing.

Furthermore, Musim Mas Group is collaborating with local communities, as well as local governments, the military, the police, and other volunteers.

To date, the company has assisted in fire management in 13 villages across Central Kalimantan. These include Sebabi, Kanyala, Tanah Putih, Hanjalipan, Tangar, Baampah, Penyang, Camba, Soren, Bagendang Tengah, Natai Baru, Palangan, and Kandan villages.

“We are currently collaborating with the local community, Manggala Agni, the government, and the BPBD (Regional Disaster Management Agency); we are working together so that this can be resolved quickly,” he said.

Bangun revealed that there are many challenges in managing forest and land fires in Central Kalimantan. One of them is the high number of simultaneous fires, requiring careful management to ensure optimal execution.

Additionally, the locations of the fires are not always close to one another, meaning it takes time to reach these remote areas. Therefore, he hopes that the forest fires in Kalimantan can be resolved soon.

Meanwhile, the Acting Head of the East Kotawaringin Regency BPBD, Rihel Magat, assessed that Musim Mas’s contribution to the fire management efforts significantly eases the burden on the local government, especially since the government is constrained by limited equipment.

“Musim Mas also recently provided units to back us up, including one tank and one water cannon, so that our capacity for handling the situation can increase,” said Rihel.

In addition to vehicles, the company has also provided water pumps, food, drinks, and masks. Musim Mas Group has even assisted with health check-ups for the community in several sub-districts.

Rihel noted that this support is extremely helpful in managing the forest and land fires.