Illegal Dumpsite in Gunung Putri, Bogor, Catches Fire; Suspected Source from Burning Mattress

Footage of a burning alleged illegal waste disposal site in Cikeas village, Gunungputri district, Bogor regency has gone viral on social media. Residents complained that the smoke from the rubbish pile had disturbed them.

Lukman Habib, deputy commander of the Gunungputri sector fire brigade, said the incident shown in the video occurred on Tuesday (14 July 2026). The smoke seen in the footage was residual from a fire that was being handled by the firefighting team.

“That was the fire at the waste site in Cikeas,” Lukman said when contacted for confirmation by detikcom on Thursday (16 July).

Lukman said the fire at the alleged illegal waste site was first reported on Wednesday evening (8 July) at around 20.20 WIB. The extinguishing process began then and was only completed on Tuesday (14 July).

“By last Tuesday it was out and settled. But indeed we received information that smoke was appearing again today. At the start of the incident the smoke was thick, especially in the late afternoon. That is why many residents of the surrounding housing estates complained,” Lukman said.

Lukman explained that the fire lasted several days because flames kept emerging from beneath the rubbish pile, which was up to 10 metres deep. The difficult terrain added to the obstacles during the extinguishing process.

“So what burned was indeed an illegal waste site. The information we have is that rubbish from the housing estates was dumped there. We were also told the land was going to be turned into a car park, which is why the waste was dumped there to level it,” Lukman said.

“The rubbish pile reached 10 metres in height. That is why we requested the help of heavy machinery to untangle the heaps. We used every method available to extinguish the fire. That is why it took days and required heavy equipment,” Lukman said.

Lukman said the fire was suspected to have been triggered by the land manager burning a mattress near the rubbish pile. The flames then grew and spread, resulting in a large blaze that produced thick smoke.

“The information we received is that the manager had burned a mattress there, and the fire probably grew and spread. At the site I did see the remains of a mattress, its frame was burnt,” Lukman said.

“We are still monitoring the site up to today. We have also reported the matter to the district authorities so it can be followed up,” he added.