Manggala Agni and Joint Task Force Extinguish Fire at Jatiwaringin Landfill

The Ministry of Forestry’s Manggala Agni brigade and a joint task force have successfully completed the operation to extinguish the fire at the Jatiwaringin Final Processing Site (TPA) in Tangerang Regency, Banten, on Friday, following an intensive week-long effort. Director General of Forestry Law Enforcement, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, expressed his appreciation for the dedication and synergy of all personnel and elements involved in handling the Jatiwaringin TPA fire. “The success in extinguishing the Jatiwaringin TPA fire is the result of the hard work, dedication, and collaboration of all parties involved. Manggala Agni personnel and the joint task force worked intensively, carrying out integrated firefighting operations via land and with air support until the entire affected area was successfully extinguished,” said Dwi Januanto on Friday. Dwi emphasised that Manggala Agni, as a forest fire control brigade, was deployed in this operation because it was deemed to have the competence and experience from supporting the handling of a previous TPA fire in 2023. This represents a form of government collaboration in disaster management for public safety and environmental protection. “The success of this operation was supported by the synergy of various parties, namely the Ministry of Forestry, BNPB, TNI, Polri, KLH, the Tangerang Regency and City Fire Services, BPBD, other local government elements, and volunteers. This collaboration was a crucial factor in ensuring the firefighting operation proceeded safely, effectively, and thoroughly,” he stressed. Director of Forest Fire Control, Thomas Nifinluri, explained that handling a TPA fire has far more complex characteristics compared to forest and land fires due to the nature of the burning material. “In the field, personnel applied a scraping method strategy, which involves dredging the surface of the waste pile using heavy machinery simultaneously with spraying water onto the hotspots to expose layers that still contain embers, making the cooling process more effective,” Thomas clarified. Thomas stated that over the seven-day operation, Manggala Agni personnel carried out firefighting through day and night work shifts to maintain operational resilience and effectiveness. In this operation, Manggala Agni implemented a 5M handling strategy, namely Smoke Management, Water Management, Human Resources Management, Facilities and Infrastructure Management, and Logistics Management. With this strategy, the entire 15-hectare burned area was successfully extinguished. “Following the extinguishing operation, the team is still conducting checks and wetting down the entire burned area to ensure there are no remaining embers or hotspots that could potentially reignite the fire,” he concluded.