Karhutla In Kampar Riau Expands Capai 30 Hectares

Manggala Agni personnel while trying to extinguish the land fire in Tapung, Kampar, which is estimated to reach 30 hectares. ANTARA/Annisa Firdausi

PEKANBARU - Forest and land fires (karhutla) in Karya Indah Village, Tapung District, Kampar Regency, Riau, continue to expand with an estimated burned land area of around 30 hectares.

Commander of Team 3 Manggala Agni Daops Sumatra IV Pekanbaru, M Jamil said the burned land belonged to the community. Most of it is in the form of peatlands with a depth of up to one meter on fire.

"The conditions on the ground are very severe, especially the depth of the peat that caught fire was deep enough, so the fire was difficult to completely extinguish," Jamil said as quoted by ANTARA, Monday, June 30.

He explained that the limited water sources were also an obstacle. The closest water source is about 350 meters from the location of the fire, making the extinguishing process quite difficult.

Apart from Manggala Agni, the extinguishing effort also involved the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the police, and the community caring about fire. One "water bombing" helicopter unit was also deployed to help control fire from the air.

Meanwhile, the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation by the authorities. Joint officers remain on standby at the location to prevent the fire from spreading and maintaining the safety of the surrounding community.

The blackout was carried out after receiving reports from the fire-care community on Thursday night (26/6). The team was surrounded by thick smoke due to the changing wind direction, but managed to continue the partition until the afternoon.

Meanwhile, Kampar Police Chief AKBP Mihardi Mirwan said that his party had deployed 80 personnel divided into three teams, namely in the north, south, and in the middle of the fire.

Now the Kampar Police are investigating the alleged intentional element in the forest and land fires.