240 hectares of land in Natuna burned : indonesia

Natuna - At least 240.77 hectares of land in Natuna Regency, Riau Islands was burnt, resulting in disruption of traffic activities.

 

Head of the Natuna Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Raja Darmika, when contacted by telephone from Natuna, Thursday, said the incident occurred on Wednesday (20/3) in Gunung Putri Village, Bunguran Batubi District.

"The area of ​​land burned on March 20 2024 is around 240.77 hectares," he said.

 

He admitted that his party and other fire teams had tried to extinguish it, but due to limited equipment, the fire was difficult to extinguish.

 

As a result of this incident, he continued, traffic had to be temporarily stopped, because the smoke fog disturbed visibility. "The fire has gone far and must be extinguished by building barriers or bombers," he said.

 

He suspects that the fire was caused by the activities of residents who cleared land by burning it. "We suspect the cause is still due to gardening activities," he said.

 

He said that currently there are still fires that cannot be extinguished and have the potential to spread to the west and north. "Current conditions are still foggy," he said.

There were no fatalities in this incident, local people were asked to reduce outdoor activities and always wear masks to maintain health.

 

He added that currently there has been no determination of the status of this incident. "We want to hold a meeting first," he said.