Forest and Land Fires Flare Up Again, Lamandau Substation Under Threat
Forest and land fires (karhutla) occurred in Kujan Village, Bulik District, Lamandau Regency, Central Kalimantan, on Thursday afternoon (20/8), spreading rapidly until they approached the PLN substation area and residential neighbourhoods.
The fire, which had previously been extinguished in the morning, reignited and expanded in the former paddy field area. According to information gathered, the flames moved towards the Kujan PLN substation.
Joint personnel prioritised securing the vital facility while also creating firebreaks to prevent the flames from spreading to residents’ homes.
Head of the Lamandau Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Hendikel, said that dry peatland conditions were one of the factors causing the fire to spread quickly.
“Our current priority is securing the PLN substation and preventing the fire from spreading to residential areas. Together with the entire team, we continue to carry out firefighting and containment efforts. As of this morning, there is still fire and we continue to monitor it,” said Hendikel on Friday (21/8).
Hundreds of joint personnel were deployed to the location. They consisted of BPBD Lamandau, Satpol PP, the fire brigade, PDAM, TNI-Polri, and local residents.
“A number of firefighting vehicles were also deployed to reach the fire spots around the substation. In fact, several sections of the PLN substation fence had to be broken down so that personnel and fire hoses could enter the fire area more quickly,” he said.
“Firefighting efforts were not only carried out from the ground. A helicopter was also deployed and was seen collecting water from the Lamandau River to assist with aerial firefighting operations,” he added.
Until around 19.00 WIB, a number of fire spots were still visibly growing. This condition prompted personnel to continue creating containment ditches to slow the movement of the fire and prevent it from heading towards the PLN substation or Kujan Village residential areas.
“Joint personnel remained on alert until the early hours of the morning. The movement of the fire continues to be monitored to ensure that the flames do not get closer to vital facilities and residents’ homes,” he said.
Meanwhile, in the neighbouring region of Lamandau, namely West Kotawaringin (Kobar), fires have also begun to approach residential areas.
Since Thursday (20/8) until today (Friday), the main concentration of the joint team has been directed to the Karang Anyar and Kumpai Batu Bawah areas because fires were reported to be heading towards residential neighbourhoods.
Head of Operations for the Kobar 2026 Karhutla Task Force, Dwi Agus Suhartono, said that the fire in Karang Anyar had been ongoing since the previous night. The movement of the fire, which was getting closer to residential areas, forced personnel to move quickly to prevent it from spreading.
“The team is currently concentrated in the Karang Anyar and Kumpai Batu Bawah areas. Both areas are of concern because fires have been reported to be heading towards residential neighbourhoods,” said Dwi on Friday morning.
A similar situation occurred in Kumpai Batu Bawah. A number of fire spots also began to head towards residential areas, so personnel were divided to carry out firefighting while also establishing safeguards to ensure the flames did not reach residents’ homes.
The task force also received reports of new fire spots appearing in the Kubu area on Thursday afternoon. The fire location was said to be towards the fishing or bathing area.
“On Thursday, we received word that in the Kubu area, towards the fishing or bathing area, fire spots were also observed. As of today, we are still dealing with them,” said Dwi.