Jatiwaringin Landfill Fire Rages for 9 Hours, BPBD Requests Helicopter from BNPB

The Tangerang Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) has requested helicopter assistance from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) to help extinguish a fire at the Jatiwaringin Final Processing Site (TPA) in Mauk District, Tangerang Regency, Banten. The request was made after firefighters spent nine hours struggling to reach the seat of the blaze, which is located in the middle of a mountain-like pile of waste. BPBD Head Achmad Taufik stated that personnel found it extremely difficult to approach the fire’s locus. He noted that entering the smoke-filled area resulted in zero visibility, making it impossible to target the water jets effectively. To tackle the fire, the BPBD deployed 10 fire engines and 45 personnel. However, ground-based firefighting efforts have been deemed suboptimal due to severely limited access to the fire’s source. Consequently, the BPBD has coordinated with the BNPB to request aerial support using a helicopter. The fire broke out at the Jatiwaringin landfill around 11:00 AM local time and continued to rage into the evening. Ujat Sudrajat, Head of the Tangerang Regency Environmental and Sanitation Agency, estimated that the area affected by the fire has exceeded two hectares.