"We have deployed hundreds of personnel and all available equipment to extinguish the fires," said Raden Suria Fadliansyah, the Executive Head of BPBD Kalsel, in a statement received in Banjarbaru on Sunday.
According to the BPBD, the natural disaster has affected several areas in the city of Banjarbaru and six regencies in the province: Tanah Laut, Banjar, Tapin, Hulu Sungai Utara, Balangan, and Tabalong.
"The firefighting teams are working to prevent the fires from spreading to residential areas," said Fadliansyah.
Meanwhile, Ricky Ferdyanto, the Head of the Control and Operation Center (Pusdalops-PB) of the BPBD Kalsel, stated that there are 2,168 fire spots scattered across 13 regencies and cities in South Kalimantan.
He mentioned that these fire spots have burned 163.15 hectares of forests and land in the province.
The forest and land fires on Saturday were the most extensive throughout 2023.
According to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the weather in Banjarbaru is predicted to be sunny with the potential for intense sunlight that may contribute to the spread of fires.
The city of Banjarbaru and Tanah Laut Regency have been the most severely affected by forest fires in South Kalimantan.
The total area of forests and land burned in both areas has reached 150 hectares, excluding data gathered on the previous Saturday.
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Translator: Tumpal A, Kenzu
Editor: Anton Santoso
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