Peatland Fire in Betara, Jambi Enters Third Day

Manggala Agni Sumatra XI Daops Bukit Tempurung personnel, together with members of the Jambi Land and Forest Fire Task Force, are still struggling to extinguish a peatland fire in Muntialo Village, Betara District, Tanjung Jabung Barat Regency, on Saturday (23/8). The firefighting effort has entered its third day since the fire was first detected.

Manggala Agni Daops Bukit Tempurung head Sandy Prabowo confirmed that the task force team continues to work to handle the fire on the shallow peatland. The initial hotspot was detected through a Manggala Agni drone patrol on Thursday afternoon in a fairly dense areca palm and oil palm plantation area.

Although flames are not visible on the surface, thick smoke continues to billow from underground. This condition indicates that embers are still burning intensely in the lower peat layer at a depth of around one metre, requiring intensive handling to prevent further spread.

Manggala Agni Daops Bukit Tempurung firefighting coordinator Demin said that the team in the field faces serious obstacles in fully extinguishing the fire. One of the main hurdles is the difficulty of obtaining water sources around the fire location.

“As for the area of land burned, the exact figure will be known after the fire is completely extinguished. Information from residents who have been helping suggests the area is close to three hectares,” said Demin.

In addition to water constraints, personnel in the field are also required to be extra vigilant when cooling the surface of the smoking area. Hundreds of areca palm trees at the fire site are reported to be prone to falling because their roots have been burned, which could endanger the safety of the ground task force officers.