Land Fire in Merbau Area of Pelalawan, Riau Brought Under Control

A land fire (Karhutla) that occurred in the Merbau village and forest area, Pelalawan Regency, Riau has been brought under control.

Currently, the combined team continues cooling operations to ensure there are no remaining hotspots that could reignite fires.

Edi Maskur, communications officer for the Riau Tani Berkah Sejahtera (RTBS) Cooperative, stated that hot weather conditions and strong winds at the time of the incident accelerated the fire’s spread across the land area.

“Alhamdulillah, the land fire has now been brought under control and the team continues cooling operations at several points to ensure the situation is completely safe,” said Edi Maskur in a statement on Tuesday (17 March).

In the incident, one excavator unit belonging to the RTBS Cooperative was damaged by the fire. Additionally, portions of plantation areas that had previously undergone stacking and replanting processes were also affected.

RTBS expressed appreciation to all parties who assisted in handling the fire at the site and worked together to extinguish the blaze until it could be controlled.

Going forward, RTBS will continue to strengthen monitoring, preparedness, and land fire prevention efforts, particularly during hot weather and strong wind conditions.

RTBS is also committed to supporting environmental protection and land fire control efforts through cooperation with various stakeholders in the region.