Red Sky In Rawa Demit Jambi, Police Summon Village Head And Farmer Group To Investigate Forest And Land Fires

Tanjabbar Police Chief AKBP Agung Basuki. ANTARA/Eko Siswono

The Tanjung Jabung Barat Resort Police (Tanjabbar) summoned a number of village heads and farmer groups related to the 20 hectare peatland fire in the Rawa Demit area, Pematang Lumut Village, Betara District, Tanjabbar Regency, Jambi.

The forest and land fires (karhutla) that have occurred since Monday, July 21, have scorched the expanse of peat in two days, and have only been successfully extinguished after a massive operation was carried out by the Karhutla Tanjabbar Task Force with the help of a water bombing helicopter belonging to PT Wirakarya Sakti (WKS).

"We will summon the village head and three farmer groups related to the fire," said Tanjabbar Police Chief AKBP Agung Basuki, Antara, Wednesday, July 23.

According to the Police Chief, until now no official owner has been identified on the burning land. However, the area was previously said to be managed by farmer groups.

"We have not found any evidence at the location, but we have pocketed the starting coordinate points for the fire," he said.

Agung stated that to explore the cause of the fire, his party would continue to collect evidence and examine witnesses, including the village head and the management of the farmer group.

"This step is important so that similar incidents do not repeat themselves. We urge the public not to clear land by burning," he said.

The police chief also reminded that currently extreme hot weather and strong winds make the potential for forest and land fires even greater, especially on peatlands that are easy to store heat.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Tanjabbar Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Zulfikri, confirmed that the fire had been successfully extinguished by a joint team, including the Fire Brigade Team (RPK) from PT WKS, through the water bombing method.

"The fire is difficult to control because the location is a mixture of peatlands and minerals, plus strong winds and extreme heat that accelerates the spread of fire," said Zulfikri.

He explained that extinguishing from land faced severe challenges due to limited access, small machines, and a fairly long distance from water sources.

Until this news was revealed, there had been no further information regarding the possibility of a suspect or sanctions for the fire.