Firefighters Reveal Difficulties in Extinguishing TPA Jatiwaringin Fire in Tangerang

Firefighters are still working to extinguish a fire at the Jatiwaringin Final Disposal Site (TPA) in Tangerang Regency, Banten. The extinguishing process is reported to be gradually coming under control, although several obstacles remain.

A fire department official confirmed that operations were ongoing as of 9:32 p.m. local time on Tuesday. The Tangerang Regency Fire Department received the initial report of the fire at 11:10 a.m., meaning firefighting efforts have been underway for over nine hours. “The extinguishing process is still ongoing, but the intensity of the fire is gradually subsiding,” the official stated.

He noted that the main challenge was the difficult access for fire trucks to reach the source of the fire. A total of 10 fire engines and 50 personnel have been deployed to the scene from various areas within Tangerang Regency, along with one volunteer ambulance unit.

The object burning is a large pile of waste, though the exact cause and chronology of the fire remain unknown. Reports from the fire department indicate that thick smoke is billowing due to the hot temperatures reacting with the water being sprayed. Crews continue to douse the area until the fire is completely extinguished.

Kepala DLHK Kabupaten Tangerang, Ujat Sudrajat, stated that the fire has spread across an area of approximately two hectares, fuelled by strong winds. “If totalled, the burned area might be more than 2 hectares. The fire started from a small hotspot in the west this morning and was initially handled by our internal officers,” he said. He added that extreme weather conditions, including intense sun and strong gusts of wind, worsened the situation, making it difficult for firefighters to contain the rapidly spreading flames.