Sugarcane plantation fire in Sragen started from grass burning, says BNPB

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has stated that a fire which destroyed a sugarcane plantation in Sragen Regency, Central Java, began when a resident was burning grass and the flames spread.

Abdul Muhari, Head of the BNPB Data, Information and Communication Centre, said on Tuesday that according to data from the Sragen Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the total area affected by the fire is estimated to have reached 4.5 hectares. “An estimated 4.5 hectares were burned and there were no casualties,” he said.

The incident in Bendo Village, Sukodono District, should serve as a serious warning and lesson for the public that burning land without proper calculation can have dangerous consequences, especially during the current dry season. Climatologists have indicated conditions are drier than average due to a moderate El Niño phenomenon.

The BNPB Operations Control Directorate confirmed that the fire was reported on Monday morning around 9:45 a.m. local time, triggered by the alleged negligence of a resident burning grass in the vicinity. The initially small fire quickly spread and expanded into the sugarcane plantation due to wind gusts.

Intensive ground firefighting efforts were carried out by a joint task force team, including the Sragen Regency BPBD rapid reaction team and the local Fire Service. Officers on the ground reported that conditions were in the cooling-down phase by Monday afternoon, but the team remains on standby to ensure all remaining embers are completely extinguished and do not trigger a subsequent fire.