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)