Joint task force controls forest and land fires in four provinces

Joint teams in the regions moved quickly to localise and extinguish forest and land fires on the same day.

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has confirmed that joint teams successfully brought under control and extinguished a number of forest and land fire hotspots that occurred simultaneously across four provinces.

Head of the BNPB Disaster Data, Information and Communication Centre Abdul Muhari said in Jakarta on Friday that the forest and land fire incidents were spread across North Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, and Southwest Papua, occurring on Wednesday to Thursday (6/8).

“Joint teams in the regions moved quickly to localise and extinguish the forest and land fires on the same day,” he said.

Abdul explained that the forest and land fire incident in Bolaang Mongondow Regency, North Sulawesi, burned 3.5 hectares of land in Bakan Village, Lolayan District, and Lolak 2 Village, Lolak District.

In Southeast Sulawesi Province, hotspots scorched approximately 6 hectares of land in Poni-Poniki Village, Tirawuta District, East Kolaka Regency.

Meanwhile, in Sorong City, Southwest Papua, a land fire covering 10 hectares struck the areas of Malasilen Village in North Sorong and Rufei Village in West Sorong District.

The fire in Sorong City also affected the final waste processing site (TPA) in Melasilen Sub-district, with the affected area reaching five hectares.

The BNPB Directorate of Operations Control confirmed that all hotspots in Sorong, both in residential land areas and the TPA area, have been successfully extinguished by joint personnel.

Nevertheless, he noted that BPBD personnel together with relevant agencies in each region remain on standby in the field to monitor vulnerable locations and prevent the emergence of new hotspots.