One Resident Dies as Forest and Land Fires Sweep Ketapang
Pontianak (ANTARA) - A resident has been reported dead as forest and land fires (karhutla) sweep through Ketapang Regency, West Kalimantan, whilst a joint team continues firefighting efforts at numerous hotspots.
“The victim is believed to have pushed through plumes of smoke on his way home. Possibly due to a lack of oxygen, the victim fainted, and with flames on both sides of the road, he died from burns,” said the Head of the Ketapang Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Yunifar Purwantoro, in Ketapang on Wednesday.
He said the victim is thought to have fallen while crossing an area blanketed in thick smoke, losing consciousness before his body was engulfed by fire at the scene.
In addition to the fatality, the BPBD also received a report of an elderly resident suffering burns, who has been evacuated to dr. Agoesdjam Hospital in Ketapang for medical treatment.
Meanwhile, Yunifar said the karhutla situation in Ketapang has not yet been fully brought under control. The joint team has been carrying out firefighting operations since the early hours of the morning and was redeployed to the field in the morning.
According to him, a water-bombing helicopter has begun operations to assist firefighting at several priority locations, including the areas of Desa Pelang and Bukit Gunung Skuri in Sungai Laur District, which are of particular concern due to their high vulnerability.
Water bombing is an aerial firefighting technique that involves dropping large quantities of water or chemical liquid from a helicopter or specialised aircraft.
The BPBD estimates that the area burnt in the Desa Pelang area has already exceeded 40 hectares. Ground firefighting efforts remain hampered by the difficulty of sourcing water near the burn sites.
“The main obstacle in the field is the very limited water supply. That is why water-bombing operations are essential, especially in locations that are difficult for ground teams to reach,” he said.
He expressed hope that the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) could station patrol and water-bombing helicopters at Rahadi Oesman Airport in Ketapang so that the response to the karhutla can be carried out more swiftly.
He added that fire hotspots have been discovered in nearly all districts across Ketapang Regency.
For this reason, residents are urged not to clear land by burning and to promptly report any fire hotspots to the authorities to prevent the fires from spreading.