Forest and Land Fires in West Kalimantan Claim One Life

A resident has died as forest and land fires (karhutla) swept through Ketapang Regency, West Kalimantan, while firefighting teams continue to battle hotspots across the region.

The victim is believed to have been engulfed in thick smoke while attempting to return home. “The victim likely lost consciousness due to a lack of oxygen and fell, with fires on both sides of the road resulting in fatal burns,” said Yunifar Purwantoro, Head of the Ketapang Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), on Wednesday.

In addition to the fatality, the BPBD received a report of an elderly resident who suffered burns and has been evacuated to Dr. Agoesdjam Ketapang Hospital for medical treatment.

Yunifar stated that the forest and land fire situation in Ketapang has yet to be fully brought under control. Joint task force teams have been conducting suppression efforts since the early hours of the morning and are redeployed to the field during the day.

He noted that water-bombing helicopters have begun operations to assist in extinguishing fires in priority areas, including Pelang Village and the Bukit Gunung Skuri area in Sungai Laur District, which are of particular concern due to their high vulnerability.

The BPBD estimates that the burned area in Pelang Village alone has exceeded 40 hectares. Ground-based firefighting efforts are being hampered by the difficulty of obtaining water sources at the fire locations.

“The main obstacle in the field is the very limited water sources. Therefore, water-bombing operations are crucial, especially in locations that are difficult for ground teams to reach,” he said.

He expressed hope that the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) could station patrol and water-bombing helicopters at Rahadi Oesman Airport in Ketapang to enable a faster response to the fires. He added that fire hotspots have been detected in nearly all sub-districts across Ketapang Regency.