Tasikmalaya Nangkaleah Landfill Fire: 2 Firefighters Suffer Breathing Difficulties

Two firefighters from the Tasikmalaya Regency Fire Department in West Java had to be evacuated after experiencing severe exhaustion and breathing difficulties while attempting to extinguish a fire at the Nangkaleah landfill in Kampung Cioray, Sukasukur Village, Mangunreja District, on Wednesday (26/8). The two officers were immediately taken from the scene by their colleagues and received respiratory assistance from the Indonesian Red Cross team on standby at the location. The incident occurred due to the thick smoke from burning waste piles in difficult terrain.

Head of the Tasikmalaya Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency, Roni AKS, said that fires at the Nangkaleah landfill during this year’s prolonged dry season have now occurred twice. However, this latest incident is considered the most severe because hotspots continue to emerge in several areas. ‘The dry season has caused fires at the Nangkaleah landfill and this year it has happened twice. Firefighting efforts were still being carried out by joint personnel from 02.00 WIB until 15.30 WIB. However, embers are still burning, especially in the lower sections, even though other areas have been successfully extinguished,’ said Roni on Wednesday (26/8).

Roni explained that the fire, which affected five hectares of land, is suspected to have been triggered by methane gas emerging in the southern part of the landfill. The fire burned plastic waste and spread to the bottom of a very steep cliff. This condition forced joint personnel to carry out firefighting from above due to the risk of landslides endangering personnel. In this operation, nine fire engines were deployed, supported by water tanks from the disaster agency, personnel from Kodim 0612 Tasikmalaya, Battalion Yonif TP 939 Macan Putih, Tagana, the Public Works and Housing Agency, the Indonesian Red Cross, and excavator heavy equipment.

Meanwhile, Mangunreja Sub-district Head Ucu Supriadi added that the impact of the fire has spread to residential areas. Around 500 residents in Kampung Cijulang, Cioray, Baru, and Layur are now affected by smoke drifting from the landfill. ‘The fire at the five-hectare landfill site out of a total of ten hectares does require time, estimated at around seven days for the embers to be completely extinguished. Firefighting is very difficult because of the heavy terrain and the embers are located at a depth of 100 metres below the cliff,’ concluded Ucu.