Deputy District Head of East Flores Payong Boli confirmed the blaze here on Friday.
"Yes, that is right. There was a forest fire on Thursday evening, and a fire spot remains until Friday morning, he stated.
The fire had supposedly started in an area near Watowiti and spread to the Lebao hilly area, he noted.
The authorities have continued to investigate the cause of the fire. The official surmised that a local resident had burned bushes and the blaze spread uncontrollably.
A joint team constituting personnel of the local Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD) and East Flores disaster alert team was stationed to douse the fire.
Local residents were also urged to help extinguish the wildfire, he remarked.
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In September 2019, Mount Ile Mandiri was also destroyed by forest fire.
Other areas wrecked by forest fires in East Flores, included Mount Ile Lewotobi, Mount Ile Boleng on Adonara Island, and a hilly area on Solor Island.
Meanwhile, with Indonesia currently transitioning from extreme dry season to rainy season, wildfires have lately razed several mountainous areas on Java Island, including Mount Cikuray, Mount Ringgit, Mount Lawu, Mounth Argopuro, Mount Sumbing, Mount Semeru, Mount Arjuno, and Mount Welirang.
On Nov 17, 2019, the Magetan District’s authorities deployed 445 personnel to extinguish wildfires that had gutted a forest area located on the slope of Mount Lawu, Magetan District, East Java Province.
The 445 personnel included firefighters, police and military officers, volunteers and officers of the Magetan disaster mitigation office (BPBD) as well as a state-owned forestry company of Lawu, Ferry Yoga Saputra, an official of the Magetan BPBD, stated.
"The fires continue to rage until now. Strong winds and challenging terrain owing to the fire location being located on a very steep slope area have hindered efforts to extinguish the blaze. Moreover, the efforts are being conducted manually to extinguish the fire," he stated.
The location of the fires was far from the people’s settlement area, he added.
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Translator: Fardah
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
