Joint Team Successfully Put Out Forest And Land Fires In Pelintung Dumai

PEKANBARU - Joint officers from the Riau Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Task Force, TNI-AD, and the Fire Care Community (MPA) managed to extinguish the fire due to forest and land fires (karhutla) in Pelintung Village, Medang Kampai District, Dumai City, Riau.

"In this area, there have been two forest and land fires, and based on the latest information, officers have succeeded in extinguishing the fire in the area that was visited by the Governor of Riau Syamsuar. The fire cantung has been extinguished," said Head of Emergency (Head of Division), Riau BPBD, Jim Ghofur, as reported by ANTARA, Monday, May 15.

He said that even though the fire had been extinguished, officers were still asked to carry out patrols in the area. Because the location of the forest and land fires in Pelintung Village still has peatlands.

When the peatland caught fire, he said, only the upper part of the fire or peat surface was extinguished while the interior of the soil was still being coaled so that there was potential for fire at any time to appear and enlarge again.

"Officers continue to carry out patrols and intensify supervision so that if there is another fire, the fire can be extinguished immediately," he said.

Jim revealed that apart from Pelintung, the fire had also burned land in the Batu Tertip Sungai Sembilan Dumai area. The fire in this area only appeared and was discovered by officers while conducting patrols.

"Earlier, as a result of patrols, officers had a fire that had just appeared in the Batu Tertip area, Sungai Sembilan Dumai and now officers are checking the location," said Jim Ghofur.