Forest and Land Fire in Rimbo Panjang, Riau, Extinguished Before Spreading
Forest and land fires (karhutla) affecting the Rimbo Panjang area in Kampar Regency, which borders Pekanbaru City, Riau, have been successfully extinguished quickly before spreading to a larger area.
The Head of the Sumatra Forest and Land Fire Control Agency (Dalkarhut), Ferdian Krisnanto, stated that the fire hotspots were identified through aerial patrol monitoring. Once the location was identified, the Manggala Agni team from the Pekanbaru Operational Unit was immediately deployed to carry out firefighting operations.
“We identified one scene in Rimbo Panjang, Kampar, and suppression was immediately conducted by the Pekanbaru unit. It has been fully extinguished, covering an area of approximately 0.25 hectares,” said Ferdian on Tuesday (9/6).
Ferdian explained that the success in extinguishing the fire in a short period demonstrates the importance of early detection systems in forest and land fire control efforts. With rapid information, field teams can move immediately so that fires do not expand.
He revealed that in addition to handling detected hotspots, prevention efforts are being intensified in various fire-prone areas across Sumatra, particularly in Riau. “Manggala Agni continues to conduct prevention patrols in fire-prone villages as a mitigation effort,” he said.
Prevention patrols are carried out routinely to monitor field conditions while providing education to the community regarding the dangers of forest and land fires and the importance of environmental protection during the dry season.
In addition, the Sumatra Dalkarhut Agency has also begun conducting comprehensive health checks for personnel working in the field. These examinations are carried out on a rotational basis to ensure all members are in prime condition to face the potential increase in fire incidents.
“We also inform you that complete medical check-ups are being conducted rotationally as an effort to monitor the health of members and ensure personnel readiness,” he said.
According to him, personnel health is a vital factor in the success of fire control operations, given that the tasks require excellent physical condition, especially when facing difficult terrain and prolonged exposure to smoke.
With a combination of early detection, prevention patrols, and maintained personnel readiness, the agency hopes that the potential for forest and land fires can be suppressed as early as possible, so that they do not develop into large-scale fires that impact the community and the environment.