Cianjur Residents Died In Land Fire In Gegerbitung

The joint team evacuated the victim's body on behalf of Kosim (65), a resident of Cilaku District, Cianjur Regency, West Java, and burned in the desert at the sand dugout site, Monday (9/10/2023). (ANTARA/Ahmad Fikri)

The joint team found the body of a resident of Cilaku District, Cianjur Regency, West Java, named Kodir (65) who was suspected of being trapped in a land fire in Gegerbitung Village, Cilaku District.

The Head of the Fire and Rescue Division of the Satpol PP and the Fire Department of Cianjur Regency, Hendra Wira Wiharja, said that his party received reports of land fires that hit the desert near the sand dug.

"We initially did not know that there were victims or residents who were trapped in the 1 hectare fire, but when they tried to extinguish the fire, assisted by joint officers from BPBD and PMI Cianjur, the body of a man was found," he said, quoted by ANTARA, Monday, October 9.

Most of the victim's body had been burned to the ground, so officers focused the evacuation of the victim's body which was immediately taken to Cianjur Hospital for a post-mortem.

The main cause of death is still being investigated because no eye witnesses have seen it.

Meanwhile, the fire that had been raging for several hours before the evening was successfully extinguished. The firefighters and the police are still investigating the cause of the fire, while cooling down so that the fire does not turn on again.

"No resident or eye witness knows for sure the whereabouts of the victim whose identity has been identified, but it is suspected that the victim tried to extinguish the fire and slipped until he was unconscious and caught fire," said Hendra.

His party has coordinated with the Cianjur Police regarding the discovery of the bodies of residents who were burned in the middle of a desert near the sand dug in Cilaku District. "We have reported this to the police," he said.

Head of Criminal Investigation Unit of the Cianjur Police, Iptu Tono Listianto, said that his party was still investigating the discovery of the bodies of residents who died in the middle of the fire. It is suspected that the victim was trapped while trying to extinguish the fire.

"We do not yet know whether there was a criminal act or purely death due to a land fire, so we will ask for information from witnesses who saw or had met with the previous victim. We will conduct an investigation and conduct an autopsy on the victim's body," he said.