Land Fire Approaches Residents' Settlement, Manggala Agni Repels Flames in Bengkalis

Pekanbaru - Manggala Agni Balai Pengendalian Kebakaran Hutan Wilayah Sumatera (BPKHWS) repelled a land fire heading towards residents’ settlements in Desa Kembung Luar, Kecamatan Bantan, Kabupaten Bengkalis, Provinsi Riau.

Head of BPKHWS Ferdian Krisnanto stated that the operation was carried out at night because residents requested assistance for protection from land and forest fires (karhutla).

“The team successfully secured several residents’ homes threatened by the fire. The operation was conducted at night due to residents’ requests for security assistance,” he said in a statement received in Pekanbaru on Wednesday.

It is known that around Desa Kembung Luar, three other villages are also experiencing karhutla, including Desa Palkun (Kecamatan Bengkalis) handled by one squad from Daops Pekanbaru. Cooling operations are currently underway to ensure the fire potential is completely extinguished.

Another one, he said, is in Desa Kelemantan Barat (Kecamatan Bengkalis), also handled by one squad from Daops Siak. Fire suppression efforts still need to be continued considering the dense condition of the fire-causing materials.

“The location still has a lot of acacia that serves as potential fuel. So, the extinguishing is continued,” said Ferdian Krisnanto.