Manggala Agni Team Extinguishes 15-Hectare Forest and Land Fire in Ogan Ilir
The Manggala Agni team, together with joint personnel, successfully extinguished forest and land fires covering around 15 hectares in two locations in Ogan Ilir Regency, South Sumatra, on Sunday (26/7).
Ferdian Krisnanto, Head of the Sumatra Region Forest Fire Control Brigade at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, stated in Palembang on Monday that the fires occurred in North Indralaya and Pemulutan districts. All hotspots were brought under control on the same day.
One of the fire locations was near a residential area, prompting the joint team to prioritise securing residents’ homes to prevent the flames from spreading.
The first fire broke out in Sungai Rambutan Village, North Indralaya District, burning around 10 hectares of peatland covered with scrub, acacia, and gelam trees. The Manggala Agni team from the Sumatra XIV/Banyuasin Operations Unit moved to the location after a duty officer spotted a column of smoke from the work post. Firefighting operations ran from 2.19 p.m. until 6.07 p.m. Western Indonesia Time, with approximately three hectares successfully extinguished. The operation involved two Manggala Agni squads supported by TNI, Polri, the Ogan Ilir Regency BPBD, the South Sumatra Provincial BPBD, and two water-bombing helicopters.
On the same day, another fire occurred in Ibul Besar I Village, Pemulutan District, where around five hectares of mineral land covered with scrub, purun, and gelam were ablaze. The fire was reported by an officer from the Kapal Betung Toll Road. Ground firefighting commenced at 6.34 p.m. and continued until 9.40 p.m., successfully controlling the flames over an area of approximately two hectares.
‘Currently, the fires are completely extinguished and all burnt areas have been brought under control,’ Ferdian said.
According to the Manggala Agni Sumatra XIV/Banyuasin report, both fire incidents occurred on Other Use Areas (APL). The location in Sungai Rambutan Village is known to be community-owned land. Despite weather conditions being predominantly clear to partly cloudy with wind speeds ranging from 5 to 9 kilometres per hour, the firefighting operation proceeded effectively, ensuring all hotspots were extinguished and no longer threatened residential areas.