Enviro News Asia, Jakarta — Indonesia recorded 25 high-confidence forest and land fire hotspots on Nov. 13, down from 43 a day earlier, as authorities continued firefighting operations in several provinces and honoured 15 personnel who died while tackling the fires.
Data from the Forestry Ministry’s SiPongi monitoring system showed that the number of hotspots had fallen by 18 as of 9 p.m. on Friday. The decline followed continued efforts to contain fires across the country.
Among six priority provinces for fire control, South Kalimantan recorded one high-confidence hotspot. South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, Jambi and Riau reported none.
The ministry cautioned that satellite-detected hotspots do not necessarily indicate actual fires or the extent of burned land. The readings identify surface temperature anomalies detected by NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites, SNPP and NOAA-20, and must be verified through field patrols and ground checks.
Despite the decline, firefighting teams were still working to extinguish fires in peatland areas in Jambi and Central Kalimantan.
In Sungai Sayang village, Sadu district, East Tanjung Jabung regency, Jambi, Manggala Agni firefighters were on their third day of operations on peatland, with the fire not yet fully extinguished as of the latest report on Nov. 14.
Teams were also continuing suppression and ground-wetting operations in Jabiren village, Pulang Pisau regency, Central Kalimantan, where fires had spread through deep peat, burning both above and below the surface.
In West Kalimantan, however, firefighters had extinguished a blaze in Air Hitam Besar village, Kendawangan district, Ketapang regency, following five days of operations.
The ministry said the contrasting conditions showed why satellite data must be assessed alongside reports from the field.
Meanwhile, President Prabowo Subianto on Friday awarded Bintang Jasa state honours to 15 volunteers and personnel who died during forest and land fire operations. Their families received the awards at a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Bogor.
The recipients came from various groups involved in fire response, including volunteer firefighters, Community Fire Care groups, Manggala Agni, national park officers, Indonesian Military personnel, community partners of forest rangers and helicopter crews.
Prabowo said the awards could not compensate for the families’ losses. He pledged government support for the bereaved families, including financial assistance and education guarantees for the children of those who died, through the highest level of education they could attain.
Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni, who attended the ceremony, said the recognition reflected the state’s commitment to honouring the sacrifices of fire response personnel and supporting their families.
Manggala Agni continues to coordinate with the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the Indonesian Military (TNI), the National Police, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), regional authorities, businesses and community volunteers.
Their work includes patrols, ground checks, firefighting, peatland wetting, searches for remaining embers and cooling operations to prevent fires from reigniting.
The ministry said the decline in hotspots was encouraging but did not mean the fire threat had ended. It said success depended on ensuring that flames and embers were fully extinguished, preventing renewed outbreaks and protecting both communities and frontline personnel. (*)
