Head of the Sumatra Forestry Law Enforcement of the ministry, Hari Novianto, stated on Monday that his side had installed fire monitoring signs at several points in the burned areas located in Karang Dapo, North Musi Rawas District.
"We are analyzing two criminal acts in this case: forest encroachment and forest fires. Field inspections show that the burned land had been cleared, stacked, and ditched. This constitutes encroachment before the fire in the encroached area," he remarked.
Novianto explained that installing the signs is an initial law enforcement step before further legal actions, such as administrative, civil, or criminal sanctions, are pursued.
He revealed that the sign installations began with the results of hotspot analysis on the Sipongi application during July 2025, which indicated fires in the area.
Based on information gathered in the field, the fire was likely caused by illegal land clearing or encroachment by community members within the production forest area that is part of the PBPH concession.
After installing the monitoring signs, the team also inspected forest fire control facilities and infrastructure, evaluated reports of fire control activities, and reviewed Standard Operating Procedures and the level of preparedness of the concession holder in responding to forest fires.
Novianto confirmed that the law enforcement team will continue to investigate the case to identify the perpetrators.
His team will also coordinate with the South Sumatra Regional Police, which is also investigating the case, to collaborate on multi-pronged law enforcement efforts.
Related news: Prabowo commends ministries for reducing forest fires
Related news: Govt seals two concessions near Malaysia over forest fires
Related news: All forest, land fire cases will be fully investigated: minister
Translator: Prisca Triferna Violleta, Cindy Frishanti Octavia
Editor: Primayanti
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
