Land Fire in Pinang Sori, Central Tapanuli Nearly Destroys Settlement

The community of Pandurungan Village, Pinang Sori District, Central Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra, was gripped by panic on Tuesday night (7/4). A major land fire occurred on Jalan Pancur and nearly spread to residents’ settlements.

The incident, which began around 10:10 PM local time, was reported to be only about 50 metres from residents’ homes. The fire, which initially burned scrubland, quickly spread and consumed a local rubber plantation area.

Jaren Sitompul, 60, one of the residents at the scene, expressed his concerns upon seeing the flames approaching.

“We panicked because the fire was very close to our houses,” he said when met at the location.

Based on information gathered on the ground, the fire is strongly suspected to have been triggered by rubbish burning activities near the settlement that was left unattended. The dry land conditions allowed the fire to easily spread to the scrub and enter the plantation area.

Before the fire brigade arrived, dozens of TNI personnel were already at the scene to localise the fire. They struggled to create manual firebreaks to ensure the flames did not reach residents’ house walls. This tactical step was deemed effective in halting the fire’s advance amid gusts of wind.

Around 11:10 PM, fire trucks from the Central Tapanuli Regency Government arrived at the location for intensive spraying. After handling for approximately 90 minutes since the fire was first detected, the blaze was completely extinguished at 11:35 PM.

To date, authorities are still conducting data collection on the total area of land burned. There are no reports of fatalities in this incident, but residents are advised not to conduct open land or rubbish burning, especially amid dry weather conditions prone to large fires.