Fire Hit Orangutan Rehabilitation Forest in East Kalimantan
27 September 2015 12:12 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Balikpapan - Fire razes forest in Samboja Lestari, an orangutan rehabilitation forest under management of Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) in Samboja, Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan. At least 100 hectares of the forest have been burned in the past three days.
”Forest fire has spread in Samboja,” said Nico Hermanu, NOSF Manager on Saturday, September 26.
The fire started, according to Nico, from between Samboja Lestari and Tani Bakti Village, then it spread rapidly to surrounding area that consists of dry reeds. BOSF continues to put on attempts to extinguish the fire with aids from army, Kutai Kartanegara Fire Department and East Kalimantan Natural Resource Conservation Agency (BKSDA). The agency have also asked for assistance from the regional government to battle the fire.
Nico suspects hot weather and extended drought to have caused the fire. In August and early September, wildfire also hit red meranti forest that burned 30 hectares of land belonging to Samboja Lestari.
SG WIBISONO