Day 6 of Forest Fires in Jonggol; Officers Still Stand Guard

TEMPO.CO, Bogor - Dozens of personnel from Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), public forestry firm Perhutani, and Bogor Fire and Rescue Agency were still standing guard at 30-hectare Petak or Area 1b of Cariu forest resort (RPH), Jonggol. They were combating hotspots that may lead to land and forest fires in the area.

The fire occurred at Antajaya Village, Tanjungsari Subdistrict, Bogo Regency. “Since this morning until afternoon, the hotspots emerge again,” the administrator of forest management unit (KPH) of Perhutani's Bogor office, Suparjo Purwo Nugroho, told Tempo, Tuesday, Oct. 8.

Suparjo explained that the fire was first seen on Thursday afternoon and gradually raged on Sunday. At that time, 30 hectares of areas were burnt down. Fires at some of the areas had been put out on Monday yet it blazed again in several locations.

“On Monday night, our officers together with BPBD and the people have extinguished the fires, but it came back due to strong wind,” Suparjo added.

As of Tuesday, three units of fire trucks and water tanks were on standby mode in the area. Several officers were deployed in areas of bamboo groves, which were vulnerable to be fired again because of the winds. “The hotspots will rage again if it is blown out.”

In addition to the strong wind, rocky and steep hill hampered officers to reach the hotspots. “Our officers in the field need extra time and power to put out the fire,” said the head of the emergency at Bogor BPBD, Muhamad Adam Hamdani.

SIDIK PERMANA