Head of the Riau BPBD Emergency Division, Jim Gafur, said that the forest and land fires in the Rambah and Kuok areas occurred in hilly terrain and were far from road access. Therefore, firefighting efforts were maximized using waterbombing helicopters.
"The location of the forest and land fire is in a hilly area. Therefore, extinguishing efforts are being maximized by using waterbombing helicopters," he said here on Tuesday.
Gafur noted that the dense forest conditions require maximum effort to prevent the fire from spreading. He added that the weather in the area has been quite hot over the past few days.
"We are still waiting for a report on the extent of the fire. However, because the forest is dense and located in a hilly area, aerial firefighting needs to be maximized," Gafur said.
Meanwhile, the forest and land fires in Bayas have reportedly occurred over the past three days. In addition to helicopter waterbombing, ground teams have also been deployed to the location.
"Currently, the forest and land fires have been extinguished. However, ground teams remain on standby at the location," he said.
The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Pekanbaru Station detected five hotspots in Riau on Tuesday (10/28), including two in Kampar, and one each in Rokan Hulu, Kuantan Singingi, and Indragiri Hilir.
Meanwhile, across Sumatra Island, 144 hotspots were detected, with the highest number in North Sumatra (42), followed by 36 in South Sumatra, 24 in Aceh, 19 in West Sumatra, nine in Jambi, five in Bengkulu, five in Riau, three in Bangka Belitung, and one in the Riau Islands.
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Translator: Bayu Agustari Adha, Katriana
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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