Riau on High Alert for Forest and Land Fires! 113 Hotspots Detected, Bengkalis and Dumai the Worst Affected Areas

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Pekanbaru Station has detected a significant surge in the number of hotspots in Riau Province. As of Wednesday (18/3/2026), 113 hotspots have been recorded scattered across the region, with the highest concentration in Bengkalis Regency.

BMKG Pekanbaru Station forecaster, Mari Frystine, detailed the distribution of these hotspots, including 36 in Bengkalis, 32 in Dumai City, 20 in Rokan Hilir, 17 in Pelalawan, and 5 in Siak. Meanwhile, Indragiri Hilir, Kuantan Singingi, and Kampar each contributed one hotspot.

“The figures are based on data updates as of Wednesday (18/3) at 4:00 PM WIB,” Mari stated in her official remarks in Pekanbaru.

Overall, Sumatra recorded a total of 198 hotspots, with Riau Province having the highest number. Other provinces with detected hotspots include Riau Islands (27), Aceh (20), South Sumatra (11), Bangka Belitung Islands (10), Jambi (8), and North Sumatra (4).

West Sumatra, Bengkulu, and Lampung showed relatively lower hotspot activity.

Amid the increasing temperatures and number of hotspots, joint teams continue efforts to extinguish ongoing forest and land fires (karhutla) at several points in Riau. Head of Emergency and Logistics Division of Riau Provincial BPBD Fire Department, Jim Gafur, confirmed that there are currently two active fire points in Bengkalis Regency.

“First, in Teluk Lecah Village, Rupat Subdistrict, Bengkalis. The condition still has fire points and extinguishing efforts are underway,” Jim explained.

Besides Bengkalis, fire points are also monitored in Pelalawan Regency (Pangkalan Terap Village), as well as Dumai City, which has two fire locations in Teluk Makmur and Mundam Subdistricts, Medang Kampai Subdistrict.

In Rokan Hilir Regency, one fire point in Rantau Bais Peasant Association is also under serious handling. “The current condition still has fire points and extinguishing as well as fire point containment are being carried out to prevent spread,” he concluded.