10 Hectares Of Small Riau Giam Siak Forest Fires Due To The Opening Of New Land, BKSDA: Currently The Cooling Process

10 hectares of the Giam Siak Kecil forest area in Riau caught fire. (Between)

RIAU - Riau Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) continues to try to extinguish the fire that engulfed about 10 hectares of the Giam Siak Kecil Wildlife Sanctuary, Bengkalis, Riau.

"The team continues to try to extinguish the fire and thankfully this afternoon the joint team is in the process of cooling down," said Head of the Riau BKSDA Genman S Hasibuan in Pekanbaru, Riau, Wednesday, June 21, as reported by Antara.

He said, based on the monitoring of the patrol team for the air task force in the field, the fire that occurred in Giam Siak Kecil was due to the opening of new land for plantations since Sunday, June 18.

After the officers extinguished the fire, said Genman, it is currently in the cooling process. The burned area is about 10 hectares.

"The joint team also continues to monitor at the location to anticipate other fire jumps. We also prevent the fire from spreading with the help of water bombing," he said.

Genman said the joint team faced obstacles when heading to the location, namely the ground team had difficulty reaching the location of the fire, especially the condition of the land in the form of peat.

He explained that he had coordinated with law enforcement officials to investigate who the perpetrators were carrying out the arson and immediately arrested him.

"We urge people who want to clear land for plantations, not to burn anymore, because in addition to receiving legal sanctions or being convicted, it can also harm the health of the community and children," he said.