Police Call The Mount Arjuno Fire A Result Of Illegal Hunting Activities

Malang Police personnel tried to extinguish the fire that burned one of the areas in the Mount Arjuno area, in the Singosari District, Malang Regency, East Java, Sunday (27/8/2023). (ANTARA/HO-Humas Malang Police)

Malang Police stated that the fire that hit the area of Mount Arjuno, in the Singosari District, Malang Regency, East Java, was indicated as a result of illegal hunting activities. Head of Public Relations of the Malang Police, Iptu Ahmad Taufik, said that based on information received by the police, the fire was thought to have originated from the point of activity of the hunters on Friday (25/8) night. "It is suspected that the hotspots came from the hunters who on Friday night carried out illegal hunting activities in the Curah Sriti area," said Taufik as quoted by ANTARA, Monday, August 28. Due to the illegal hunting activity, causing the forest and land fires to precisely be located in plot 116 B, the Forest Host Resort (RPH) Sumberawan, Toyomarto Village, Singosari District. According to him, the illegal hunting activity that deliberately burned the forest became out of control and spread to a number of areas. Malang Police personnel from the Sector Police (Polsek) Singosari, were deployed to assist the extinguishing process. "We sent personnel to carry out extinguishing measures, so that the fire does not spread more widely," he said. The fire extinguishing process is carried out manually using a mitigating tool or by hitting flames. In addition, it also makes a ditch to break the movement of fires. "The fire suppression is currently carried out manually, the field is quite difficult, causing the fire to be less than optimal. In addition, anticipation has been carried out by making the ditch two meters wide, "he said.

However, if the wind blows too strong, it is feared that the ditch will not be able to withstand the fire slashing and potentially spread again. Currently, the Malang Police are still focused on assisting efforts to extinguish the forest and land fires. "For investigation, we are still waiting. Currently we are still focused on helping out the fire first," he said. Technical Management Unit (UPT) of the Grand Forest Park (Tahura) Raden Soerjo decided to close the climb of Mount Arjuno in East Java, due to a land forest fire disaster in the mountainous area. Tahura Raden Soerjo is home to a number of animals including long-tailed monkeys, Javanese eagles, loggers, rice fields, forest chickens, kutilang, squirrels, alap-allap jambul, and alap-alap rat or white. Forest burning activity, is suspected to localize animals and make it easier for hunters. The hotspots first appeared on the Sriti Bulk, which entered the Singosari District, Malang Regency, on Saturday (26/8) early morning. Based on the monitoring of Tahura Raden Soerjo on Sunday (27/8), there were as many as seven hotspots that the joint team tried to extinguish. From the hotspots, they have now decreased and left two points that are still in an effort to extinguish them.