Fire at Galuga Landfill in Bogor: Extinguishing Efforts Hampered by Waste Mountain

Efforts to tackle the fire burning through farmland in the Galuga Final Disposal Site (TPA) area in Cibungbulang, Bogor Regency, are still under way. Bogor Regent Rudy Susmanto explained that the fire at TPA Galuga, which broke out on Monday (7/9) at around 17.00 local time, was difficult to control due to access constraints, whilst the flames continued to spread.

“The obstacle is extraordinary — the challenge is access,” he said whilst inspecting the site on Tuesday (8/9) morning at around 03.00 local time.

He added that the burned area lies across the edge of TPA Galuga and spans tens of hectares.

“The fire point is not in the middle of the active waste pile, but at the very back end. As a result, fire engines cannot access the site,” he explained.

Extinguishing operations are being carried out by connecting fire hoses together, which causes the water pressure to drop further.

“From the several fire hoses available, we joined them together into one. The length reaches roughly 400 to 500 metres to this point.”

As for the cause, Rudy said his side could not yet draw any conclusions, as they are currently focused on handling the emergency.

“We cannot conclude the cause tonight. We are still focusing on extinguishing the fire so it does not spread any further.”

Likewise, the extent of the burned area is still being calculated by the Bogor Regency Environmental Technical Implementation Unit (UPTD LH).

“We flew a drone earlier. We are calculating the burned area together. We will make sure how much land has been burned,” he concluded.