Manggala Agni battles 20-hectare forest and land fire in Siak, Riau

Manggala Agni, the Ministry of Forestry’s firefighting unit, is battling a 20-hectare forest and land fire in Kandis District, Siak Regency, Riau Province. Head of the Sumatra Regional Forest Fire Control Office, Ferdian Krisnanto, said his team has deployed the IV/Pekanbaru operational unit to tackle the fire in Kandis. The blaze remained unextinguished as of Wednesday (27 May) evening. ‘Ground firefighting efforts are supported by aerial water-bombing operations. Initial estimates put the affected area at around 20 hectares, though this is still preliminary,’ he said. He added that ground teams are using headfire containment strategies, but challenges include extreme heat and diminishing water supplies. Meanwhile, another fire broke out in Pasir Limau Kapas District, Rokan Hilir Regency. A team from Daops III Labuhan Batu Selatan is assisting with firefighting due to its proximity to North Sumatra. ‘Conditions remained smoky as of yesterday evening, with teams resuming firefighting this morning. Manggala Agni personnel are staying with local residents near the fire site to expedite response times,’ he said. He noted that due to the remote location of Pasir Limau Kapas, the team opted to stay with nearby residents instead of the local village office for quicker access. ‘They are currently lodging with nearby residents. The affected area includes community gardens and peatlands, with an initial estimate of 8 hectares for the Pasir Limau Kapas fire,’ he added.