Waringinkurung Landfill in Serang Catches Fire, Flames Difficult to Extinguish

The Waringinkurung landfill in Waringinkurung Village, Serang Regency, Banten, caught fire on Friday evening (28/8). The flames first appeared around 6 p.m. local time and were spotted by residents returning from collecting grass for livestock feed. Residents then reported the fire to the Waringinkurung Police so it could be extinguished.

Waringinkurung Police Chief Inspector Hari Purwanto said officers confirmed with local residents that the cause of the incident was unknown. Personnel went to the scene of the land fire, and efforts were underway to put out the flames.

Hari said the location’s distance from residential areas meant that neither residents nor police personnel knew for certain what caused the landfill to catch fire. The Waringinkurung landfill is a former red brick manufacturing site that was later used by local residents as a waste disposal area.

According to Hari, extinguishing the fire at the Waringinkurung landfill posed a particular challenge because it occurred during the dry season. Moreover, the waste piles had grown high and were covered by tall grass. The fire had to be fully extinguished so that embers inside the waste piles would not reignite.

“It is now covered by tall grass, which makes the fire difficult to extinguish because there are many piles of waste underneath,” he said.