15 Hectares Of Land In Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra Caught Fire, The Cause Is Still Being Investigated

Forest Fires in South Sumatra/Antara

JAKARTA - 15 hectares of land burned in Palem Raya Village, North Indralaya, Ogan Ilir Regency, South Sumatra, Sunday, July 18 at around 11.00 WIB.

The Head of the Regional Disaster Management Agency for Ogan Ilir Regency, South Sumatra, Ardha Munir, said there were three hotspots that burned the mineral land.

The officers, consisting of dozens of personnel from the Regional Disaster Management Agency, Manggala Agni, the TNI and Polri, had difficulty reaching the hotspots, which were 10 km from the Palembang-Indralaya Toll Road.

To that end, the task force attempted to spray water from the air using a water boom aircraft at around 13.00 WIB.

"The weather conditions at that time were hot and the wind was blowing hard, causing the fire to spread quickly, while it is estimated that the total area of land burned is 15 hectares," he said as quoted by Antara.

After struggling, the fire finally started to extinguish around 17.30 WIB.

However, Ogan Ilir and Banyuasin Ujang Sultan, Coordinators for Prevention of Forest and Land Fires, Manggala Agni Daops Sumatra XIV, said that the fire had flared up again around 19.00 WIB. The forest and land fires task force team is still trying to extinguish the fire at the location.

"We haven't had time to rest, the fire has grown again, we are still fighting to extinguish it," he said.

The fire in Palem Raya Village occurred for the second time during July 2021, dry and windy weather conditions made the fire very difficult to extinguish.

"Moreover, it is a mineral land, so it is vulnerable," he said.

Meanwhile, Ogan Ilir District Police Chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner of Police Yusantiyo Sandhy said that at this time his party was still not sure what caused the fire.

"The cause has not been determined," he said

This fire incident will be investigated further and if it is found an element of intentional human activity, it will be punished according to the applicable rules.

The Commander of Korem 044/Garuda Dempo Brigadier General Jauhari Agus Suraji said that Ogan Ilir Regency is included in 10 areas in South Sumatra that have been designated as an emergency alert for forest and land fires since March 2021. can take immediate action.

"With CCTV installed, for example, there are ignorant hands who deliberately burn the land, we secure it," he said.