Water Bombing Helicopters Put Out Fire In South Sumatra And East Java

PEKANBARU - A total of two water bombing helicopters were diverted to extinguish fires due to forest and land fires in South Sumatra (Sumsel) and East Java Provinces to anticipate forest and land fires in several mountains.

"Two water bombing helicopters that were previously on standby in Riau have now been transferred to other provinces, namely South Sumatra and East Java," said Riau Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Chief Executive M Edy Afrizal, quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, September 14.

He said the Riau BPBD transferred two units of the water bombing helicopters to South Sumatra and East Java because the forest and land fires in Riau Province are currently still under control.

In addition, due to the rainfall that occurred in the past week, several locations that previously occurred in forest and land fires had been extinguished.

"The high rainfall in the past week has almost evenly distributed throughout Riau Province, resulting in several forest and land fires which previously were still billowing smoke and have now been extinguished," he said.

The forest and land fires in Riau are now under control and the rain that flushed Riau province is quite evenly distributed so that the forest and land fires in Riau have been extinguished. Of the five helicopter units that have been on standby, now only three units are left because two other units have been sent to Central Java.

Of the three helicopters, one helicopter is still under repair so that only two are ready to operate in the event of a forest and land fire that requires fire from the air.

"However, if the intensity of forest and land fires in Riau increases, we will again submit a water bombing helicopter so that it can be sent back to Riau," he said.