E. Kalimantan protected forest burnt

SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: There has been a minor forest fire in Tarakan, East Kalimantan, induced by the long dry spell, even though the forest's fire rating was only medium according to experts.

With the fire in Tarakan, the forest has been placed on alert, according to the fire information unit of the Integrated Forest Fire Management, an Indonesian-German technical forum cooperating with the local forestry office in Samarinda on Wednesday.

The Tarakan forestry office reported the blaze occurred in the middle of last week and was successfully extinguished in five hours. Four hectares of forest were affected.

The average fire danger index at six locations was rated medium in the July 1 to July 14 period, while some other areas like Samarinda and Tanjung Redeb were rated extreme, Balikpapan and Tanjung Selor high, and Nunukan low.

Five meteorological stations in East Kalimantan forecast the region's weather during the July 15 to July 19 period to be less rainy, more cloudy, bright, warm and humid, though no thick smoke or other hot spots were detected. --Antara