Fire burns through Ciremai forest

KUNINGAN, West Java: Fire burned through on Monday hundreds of hectares of pine forest on the slopes of Mount Ciremai spanning Mandirancang and Cilimus districts in Kuningan regency, West Java. No fatalities have been reported in the incident.

The forest fire is thought to have been caused by local villagers who used the slash-and-burn method to clear their land.

Maman Sukirman, an official of Mt. Ciremai Observation Post in Sampora subdistrict, Cilimus, said the fire was first spotted in Trijaya subdistrict, then spread quickly to other areas. -- JP