Enviro News Asia, Jakarta — The Ministry of Forestry confirmed that a forest fire in the Kuala Penet Resort area of Way Kambas National Park, East Lampung, was successfully extinguished on Saturday, August 22, at around 7 p.m. local time. Monitoring by park authorities showed that Sumatran elephants in both their natural habitat and the Elephant Conservation Center were located far from the fire and were not directly affected.
The fire was first reported on Friday afternoon, August 21, in the Kuala Penet Resort area, within Section III of the Way Kambas National Park Management Area. The affected area was estimated at approximately 673 hectares, although the figure remains provisional pending further field verification.
Around 250 personnel from multiple institutions were involved in the firefighting operation. The teams included personnel from the Way Kambas National Park Office, Lampung Police, East Lampung Police, the Indonesian military, the East Lampung district government, park partners, forest ranger community groups, forest farmer groups, cooperatives, and community fire-prevention teams.
The operation was also closely monitored by the Head of the Way Kambas National Park Office, the East Lampung Police Chief, the East Lampung Military District Commander, and the Head of the East Lampung Disaster Management Agency. The cross-sector response was aimed not only at containing the fire but also at protecting the conservation area and wildlife.
Firefighters faced significant challenges because parts of the affected area consisted of peatland, access to the fire zone was difficult, and water sources were located relatively far from the fire. Some sections could only be reached on foot by personnel. Despite these conditions, coordinated and intensive firefighting efforts succeeded in extinguishing the flames.
According to monitoring by the Way Kambas National Park Office, groups of wild Sumatran elephants were located in the northern part of the national park, well away from the affected area. Elephants housed at the Elephant Conservation Center were also in an unaffected zone.
Authorities therefore confirmed that both wild elephants and elephants at the conservation center remained safe and were not directly affected by the fire. Nevertheless, personnel continue to monitor wildlife movements and environmental conditions to ensure the protection of the park’s animals.
Following the extinguishing operation, joint teams conducted cooling and continued surveillance to ensure that no remaining hotspots reignited. Such measures are particularly important in peatland areas, where fires can persist beneath the surface and potentially re-emerge after appearing to have been extinguished.
As a follow-up measure, the Way Kambas National Park Office will intensify patrols and area protection while strengthening coordination with the military, police, local government, conservation partners, and communities. The measures will focus not only on forest and land fire prevention but also on preventing poaching, encroachment, and other illegal activities that could threaten the conservation area.
The Ministry of Forestry expressed appreciation to all personnel, conservation partners, and communities involved in the firefighting operation and in protecting Sumatran elephants and other wildlife. The public was also urged not to conduct open burning and to immediately report any signs of smoke or fire to authorities. (*)
