BKSDA Adds Personnel To Put Out Forest Fires On Mount Papandayan

Officers extinguished the fire that burned the conservation forest area in Gunung Papandayan, Garut Regency, West Java, Monday (23/10/2023). (ANTARA/HO-BPBD Garut)

GARUT - The Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) has increased the strength of personnel to 152 people from various agencies and volunteer communities to extinguish the blaze, which is still burning forest areas on Mount Papandayan. Garut Regency, West Java.

Head of the Conservation Section for Natural Resources Region V Garut Dodi Arisandi said all the joint personnel had been dispatched to the location of the fire, which until now there is still a hotspot, Tuesday, October 24.

"This morning we dispatched 152 joint personnel," said Dodi, quoted by ANTARA.

He said the strength of the personnel deployed was apart from BKSDA officers, namely the ranks of the police, TNI, BPBD, as well as officers from the company, as well as volunteers from various community groups.

The effort to extinguish the fire, he said, was quite difficult because at night the fire was already big, so it could not be extinguished from an early age.

"So we know there was a fire after it was big, it was unknown from below, making it difficult for us to extinguish it early," he said.

The cause of forest fires is not yet known, whether it was due to intentional elements or other factors, because until now it is still under investigation.

Regarding the area of forest land burned, he said, it could not be known, because it was still calculated, and the condition of forest land was still hit by fire.

"Until now I have not been able to confirm how many hectares for the fire, this is still ongoing," he said.

During the process of extinguishing forest fires on Mount Papandayan, the climbing route was temporarily closed to the public.

Meanwhile, tourist areas, he said, are still open because the location of the fire is far from tourist attractions and residential areas of people's homes.

"Our climbing activity is closed, for tourist visits below it is still open, but for climbing activities we are closed," said Dodi.