Papua Wildfires Update: 2,393 Hectares Burned, 73 Hotspots Still Active

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported 73 hotspots and two active fires from forest and land fires in the Papua region.

“Over the past 12 hours, we have also received reports of 73 hotspots, both in the south and central areas. Fires are still burning in two areas, including Sorong City and Merauke,” said Berton SP Panjaitan, acting head of BNPB’s Disaster Data, Information and Communication Centre, in a live broadcast on Wednesday (28 October).

Berton said that, according to monitoring by regional disaster management agencies (BPBD), around 2,393 hectares of land had burned in Papua. The figure covers fires in the provinces of Southwest Papua, Central Papua and South Papua.

“In Southwest Papua, 2,131 hectares have currently been burned. In Central Papua, the figure is 100 hectares, while in South Papua it is 161 hectares,” he said.

Meanwhile, information displayed during BNPB’s live broadcast estimated that 14 hectares of fires in Southwest Papua remained unextinguished as of Saturday (24 October). A further 71 hectares in Central Papua and 592 hectares in South Papua were also reported to still be burning.

Rain has fallen in all three areas. However, Berton said firefighters faced a number of challenges.

“Some areas are difficult to reach, making firefighting there relatively challenging because certain locations are too far away for us to access,” he said.

Wildfires have also occurred at a waste disposal site in Papua, the Makbon landfill. Firefighting there has likewise been hampered by the greater resources required.