Fire at Dengung Landfill in Lebak Burns 1,000 Square Metres

A fire struck the Dengung Final Disposal Site (TPA) located in Sindang Mulya Village, Maja District, Lebak Regency, Banten, on Thursday (30/7). The flames scorched an area of approximately 1,000 square metres before being successfully brought under control by joint officers.

The Head of the Waste Management Division at the Lebak Regency Environmental Agency (DLH), Nana Mulyana, stated that the rapid response of officers was crucial in preventing the fire from spreading to other waste piles within the 13-hectare site. “We moved quickly to extinguish the fire so that it would not spread,” Nana said in Lebak on Thursday (30/7).

The fire at the Dengung TPA began when landfill management officers saw plumes of smoke around 11:00 WIB. The hotspot was identified in the sanitary landfill system area, specifically in a zone of inactive waste. The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Firefighting efforts involved a team from the Lebak Regency Civil Service Police Unit and Fire Department. The Head of Prevention, Rusli, explained that his party deployed two fire engines with the assistance of three water tanker trucks belonging to the Dengung TPA. “Extinguishing the fire in the inactive waste zone took about four hours, and the flames were tamed by officers around 14:00 WIB,” Rusli said.

Nana Mulyana appreciated the good inter-agency coordination that prevented the Dengung TPA fire from spreading to the active zone. For context, the Dengung TPA is the main waste processing centre that receives around 150 tonnes of household and market waste from the Rangkasbitung area every day.

Given the dry season weather conditions, the DLH urged the public and field officers to increase their vigilance against the potential for forest and land fires, including in waste disposal areas.