E. Kalimantan protected forest burnt

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