Police and Military Battle to Extinguish 10-Hectare Land Fire in Bengkalis
Bengkalis - A fire engulfed 10 hectares of land on Jalan Parit Jawa, Sungai Mesim 2 Hamlet, Rupat District, Bengkalis Regency. Police and military personnel were deployed to battle the blaze.
The fire has been burning since Wednesday (11/2). As of Saturday (14/2/2026), a joint team from the Rupat Police, Koramil 04/Rupat, the Rupat District Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), and the Community Fire Care Group (MPA) were still carrying out firefighting efforts.
Rupat Police Chief AKP Faisal said hotspots were detected through the Lancang Kuning dashboard application at 43 points. All the hotspots are located within a single stretch in the Jalan Parit Jawa area and are currently the focus of the joint team’s response.
“Based on field inspections, the burned land is dominated by bushes and oil palm plantations on peatland soil, which is highly flammable and difficult to extinguish,” AKP Faisal said on Saturday (14/2/2026).
Extreme hot weather conditions that have persisted for a prolonged period without rain, combined with moderate winds that frequently change direction, have further increased the potential for fire spread.
“Some areas have been successfully extinguished, but new fires keep emerging on freshly burned land. We continue to work on containment to prevent the fire from spreading further,” AKP Faisal said during a break in operations.
During the firefighting efforts, the team faced challenges due to the lack of water sources near the location, as there are no canals or retention ponds in the area. For the time being, water is being sourced solely from a canal belonging to PT SRL, which is quite far from the fire points.
Despite this, the morale of the joint personnel has not wavered. One unit of heavy equipment has been deployed to help create firebreaks, temporary retention ponds, and widen canals to speed up water distribution to the fire points.
Additionally, several mini strike engines and dozens of hose rolls from BPBD, PT SRL, and MPA have been deployed to support the firefighting and cooling efforts.
The Rupat Police Chief also emphasized that the cause of the fire and the identity of the landowner are still under investigation. His team continues to conduct further inquiries to determine whether there was any element of intent or negligence.