Fire guts 140 ha forest

Fire guts 140 ha forest

PURWAKARTA, West Java: Fire turned 140 hectares of forest here
into ash last year and the local government is making every
effort to prevent the calamity from happening again this dry
season, an official has said.

"We have deployed 240 rangers trained and equipped to combat
forest fires," said Judijanto of the local branch of the state-
owned forestry company, PT Perhutani.

The rangers, consisting of members of the Armed Forces and
Perhutani employees, were dispatched in a ceremony led by the
deputy governor overseeing Purwakarta, Suyaman, earlier this
week.

Judijanto said the forest is prone to fire. "In some cases,
fire was started by cigarette butts that careless people dumped,"
he was quoted by Antara. (pan)