Jambi (ANTARA) - The Forest and Land Fire Task Force has provided additional logistical support to firefighters battling blazes in Berbak Sembilang National Park (TNBS) and Orang Kayo Hitam Forest Park (Tahura) in Jambi Province.
“With fires spreading across several areas, our teams in the field face a challenging task. I urge everyone to prioritize safety while on duty and look out for one another,” Al Haris, commander of the Jambi Province Forest and Land Fire Task Force, said in a statement on Sunday.
The logistical assistance, delivered on Saturday (October 24), included food and medicine for personnel working at the fire sites.
According to field reports, several fires in the national park have been extinguished, with crews now conducting cooling operations to prevent them from reigniting. However, other fire hotspots remain inaccessible because of the lack of road access.
Haris said monitoring indicated that fire hotspots in the TNBS and Tahura areas had reportedly merged. Joint teams are working to contain the blazes through mobile blockades and coordinated firefighting operations from several posts across the two areas.
He noted that fires in peatlands posed particular challenges because flames could spread underground, making them difficult to detect and extinguish.
According to the firefighting deployment map for TNBS and Tahura, the task force sent eight personnel from the Manggala Agni Bukit Tempurung Operations Unit, equipped with three fire engines and 20 hose reels, to tackle the blaze in Kapas Hamlet, Sadu Subdistrict.
In Sungai Cemara Village, firefighting operations involved teams from the Manggala Agni Bukit Tempurung Operations Area and Berbak Sembilang National Park. The Sadu Fire Department also deployed 13 personnel, two water pumps, and 30 hose reels.
In Simpang Datuk Village, the task force deployed two teams from Berbak Sembilang National Park and the Manggala Agni Operations Area. The operation, supported by personnel from Pekanbaru, involved 17 personnel, six fire engines, and 52 hose reels.
In Rantau Rasau and Sungai Rambut villages, three teams comprising 22 personnel from Berbak Sembilang National Park were deployed alongside personnel from the Manggala Agni Operations Area in Dumai, Riau Province.
In the Orang Kayo Hitam Forest Park area, the task force deployed two teams from the Manggala Agni Operations Areas in Jambi City and Tebo. The 24 personnel were equipped with six fire engines and 60 hose reels.
“We can see our colleagues working hard to contain the fires. However, the peatland conditions and difficult terrain make firefighting challenging. We hope these efforts bear fruit and the fires will end soon,” Haris said.
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Translator: Agus Suprayitno, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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