Fire Consumes One Hectare of Forest in Mamuju, BPBD Deploys Full Force

The atmosphere in Dusun Tanjung Batu, Sumare Village, Mamuju, suddenly turned tense on Tuesday (7/7) at 8:00 p.m. WITA. Flames rapidly devoured a forest and land area of about one hectare, prompting a joint force from the provincial to village level to be deployed to prevent the fire from spreading to residential areas.

The forest and land fire (Karhutla) that occurred in Simboro District received a swift response from the West Sulawesi Provincial Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD). As soon as the report was received through the Operations Control Centre (Pusdalops), the Quick Reaction Team (TRC) was immediately deployed to conduct an assessment and emergency coordination in the field.

Head of the West Sulawesi BPBD, Muhammad Yasir Fattah, emphasised that the directive from Governor Suhardi Duka was clear: the fire must be brought under control immediately before it spreads to residential areas and productive land. “We cannot work alone. Last night we combined forces with the Provincial Fire Service, Mamuju Regency Fire Service, the TNI, the Police, and the Sumare Village Government to carry out mass extinguishing and cooling operations,” Yasir stated on Wednesday (8/7).

Flames are still visible in several spots, but officers are optimistic that the fire can be localised. The main challenges for the team on the ground were the lack of lighting at night and gusts of wind that could potentially shift the fire to new locations. Nevertheless, intensive monitoring is being carried out to anticipate any new flare-ups.

Fortunately, no fatalities or injuries were recorded in this incident. Meanwhile, an investigation team is still working to determine the exact cause of the fire, which is suspected to have been triggered by extreme weather factors or human activity in the surrounding area. Data on environmental damage and estimated material losses are still being collected and verified by officers at the scene.

Residents around Dusun Tanjung Batu have been urged to remain vigilant and to report immediately if they spot any new fire spots, as the current dry season makes vegetation highly susceptible to burning. BPBD Sulbar has confirmed that the emergency post will remain operational until the fire is completely extinguished and the situation is declared safe.