Kuningan Regency Government Deploys Joint Team to Tackle TPSA Ciniru Fire

The Kuningan Regency Government, West Java, deployed a joint team on Wednesday to localise and manage a fire at the Ciniru Final Disposal Site (TPSA) in Jalaksana District, which has spread and is threatening nearby community plantations. Kuningan Regent Dian Rachmat Yanuar stated that the joint team’s priority is to create firebreaks to limit the movement of the fire so it does not encroach on the community plantations surrounding the TPSA. “The fire is spreading further, estimated to be covering several hectares. I have coordinated, and the first step is to create a firebreak so it does not spread to the residents’ plantations,” he said. In addition to creating firebreaks, the local government has established an integrated joint post to serve as a coordination centre for handling the fire, as well as a health post for officers and the community. Furthermore, a field kitchen has been prepared to meet the consumption needs of the personnel who have been involved in the extinguishing process since the morning. “We have also requested assistance from the province, and tonight two water supply trucks are expected to arrive,” he added. He explained that extinguishing the fire requires repeated efforts because the waste piles allow embers to persist underneath and reignite after the surface has been doused. “Water is poured on top, the fire on the surface is extinguished, but underneath it is still smouldering, and it flares up again and again,” he said. Head of the Kuningan Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Indra Bayu reported that the fire was discovered around 4:00 a.m. Western Indonesia Time after officers saw flames and plumes of smoke rising from a waste pile at the TPSA in the Bubulak Titisara Block. “The TPA officer from the Environmental Agency’s Technical Implementation Unit coordinated with sub-district officials, the Indonesian National Armed Forces, the Indonesian National Police, the Fire Department, and BPBD to carry out the extinguishing operation,” he said. BPBD has also dispatched an assessment and response team to assist the extinguishing process being conducted by firefighters together with TPSA management and the community. He stated that the total area of the TPSA affected by the fire has not yet been identified, while preliminary reports indicate there have been no casualties from the incident. “The joint team is continuing operations to localise and extinguish the fire by adding personnel, personal protective equipment, and maximising supporting equipment at the location,” he concluded.