Rain Falls in Berau, East Kalimantan, Prompting Forest Firefighters to Prostrate in Gratitude
A moment involving joint forest fire prevention officers near Kampung Kasai, Berau Regency, East Kalimantan, has gone viral on social media. The officers were seen performing ‘sujud syukur’ (prostrating in gratitude) spontaneously as rain began to fall in the area.
The heavy rainfall occurred on Wednesday (9/9/2026). At the time, officers had been conducting firefighting operations from morning until night after several fire hotspots were discovered.
“According to reports, there were approximately 3 to 4 hotspots being extinguished by the team. They had been on the move since 10:00 AM, heading towards the suspected fire locations,” said Najib, Head of the North Berau KPHP UPTD of the East Kalimantan Forestry Service, as reported by detikKalimantan on Friday (11/9/2026).
Najib stated that officers moved immediately upon finding the burning locations. The hot weather and the emergence of fires at multiple points forced the team to continue firefighting efforts until around 7:10 PM WITA.
“There was essentially no break. From morning until evening, they continued to move to extinguish the flames that appeared,” he added.
In the midst of this process, heavy rain suddenly drenched the area surrounding the fire sites. The officers, who had faced the flames almost all day, spontaneously expressed their gratitude as the rain assisted in the firefighting process.
“The viral video shows the team after they had finished extinguishing the fires when the rain suddenly arrived. The euphoria was very palpable, given they had spent nearly the entire day facing the high risks associated with these fire incidents,” Najib explained.
According to Najib, the rain was a surprise for the officers after hours of working in intense heat. The moment of joy captured in the video was described as a spontaneous reaction.
“Added to the hot weather, there was a sudden downpour. This is what re-energised the team and led them to spontaneously offer prayers of thanks for the heavy rain,” he said.