Soputan Mountain Protected Forest Fire Expands to 300 Hectares

The Head of Emergency and Logistics at the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Southeast Minahasa Regency, North Sulawesi, Julex Wanga, stated that the forest fire in the Mount Soputan protected area has expanded to 300 hectares. “Since the fire started on Sunday (2/8), we estimate it has already reached 300 hectares or even more,” Julex said in Manado on Tuesday. He noted that the trigger for the fire’s increasing spread in the Mount Soputan protected forest area is the strong winds. “The wind is blowing quite hard, it feels like it could knock you over, and the area is becoming increasingly difficult to reach,” he said. Hotspots are appearing alternately, with some being extinguished for a while before reappearing elsewhere. “As of last night, there were around four to five hotspots, and they are extensive,” he said. Joint personnel from the local government, the Indonesian National Armed Forces, the National Police, nature enthusiasts, communities, and residents are continuing to make maximum efforts to extinguish the spreading fire. “On the second day of the fire, we were even fighting the flames until midnight Central Indonesian Time,” he added. Previously, on Sunday (2/8) at around 9:45 a.m. Central Indonesian Time, a fire was reported in the Mount Soputan protected area; fifteen minutes later, the Southeast Minahasa BPBD along with other agencies had arrived at the location and began suppression efforts. On the second day, the burned protected area was estimated to have reached 50-100 hectares.