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14 clusters · 33 sources · 30 days · First seen · Last updated

Categories: INTERNATIONAL · POLITICS · CRIME · BUSINESS · TECHNOLOGY

Indonesia wildfires spread, prevention steps intensify

Entities: Perhutani · President Prabowo Subianto · Ponorogo · TNI · KPH Kedu Utara

Overview

The 2026 fire season in Indonesia worsened as an El Niño‑driven dry spell deepened. Early July saw separate blazes in Palangka Raya (≈2 ha) and Riau’s Pulau Serdang village (≈7 ha), prompting drone mapping and helicopter water‑bombing despite communication hurdles. The Ministry of Environment launched a peat‑land restoration drive, filed civil suits against four firms and ordered zero‑fire compliance from about 400 concession holders. Hotspot counts rose 205 % to over 1,000 by mid‑June, with more than 81,000 ha burned from January to May. Ground operations expanded to 1,586 missions covering 12,381 ha and included weather‑modification activities; industrial and urban fires added strain and water shortages persisted in drought‑hit districts such as Ponorogo.

In early August, Perhutani’s KPH Kedu Utara unit created a task force with the LMDH community group, mapping high‑risk zones, increasing patrols, monitoring the Forest Danger Index and coordinating with the Temanggung disaster agency, armed forces, police and regional governments. President Prabowo Subianto ordered all ministries to boost dry‑season readiness, allocating extra budget and warning of health, school and economic disruptions. The South Kalimantan forestry agency temporarily closed the Tahura Sultan Adam protected area to build an access road for the Brigade for Forest and Land Fire Control.

In West Java, a fire on the Suryakencana meadow of Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park led to a five‑day suspension of hiking, refunds for trekkers and an investigation. A subsequent blaze on 6 August in the Alun‑Alun Barat Surya Kencana area burned about one hectare of dry grass, was extinguished by Ministry of Forestry staff, MMP volunteers and rescue teams, and prompted a temporary closure of all park trails from 7‑11 August. Hikers on the Cibodas trail were evacuated, refunds were arranged via official WhatsApp channels and monitoring continued for three days to prevent re‑ignition.

Timeline

  1. 1 day ago

    [INTERNATIONAL] 10 sources
    Gunung Gede Pangrango fire prompts trail closures in West Java

    A one‑hectare fire at Gunung Gede Pangrango on 6 Aug 2026 was extinguished, prompting a 7‑11 Aug trail closure, hiker evacuations and refunds; Indonesia‑Korea also launch a fire‑management center in Sumatra.

  2. 3 days ago

    [POLITICS] 4 sources
    Indonesia ramps up forest fire prevention as dry season peaks

    Perhutani and the Indonesian government, led by President Prabowo, are intensifying forest‑fire prevention measures and coordination as the dry season peaks, citing health, economic and safety risks.

  3. 14 days ago

    [POLITICS] 2 sources
    Ponorogo, Indonesia Grapples with Forest Fire and Severe Water Shortage

    A forest fire burned up to three hectares in Ponorogo’s Bukit Angel with no official response, while drought left a school and 153 villagers without clean water, prompting BPBD water‑dropping plans.

  4. 16 days ago

    [POLITICS] 14 sources
    Indonesia ramps up fire warnings and response as karhutla spread during dry season

    Indonesia faces a surge in forest and land fires during a prolonged dry season, with dozens of hotspots, police suspects for illegal burns, and heightened government warnings and helicopter water‑bombing to cur

  5. 16 days ago

    [POLITICS] 3 sources
    Aceh Province Battles Expanding Forest Fires with Weather‑Modification Operations

    Aceh's forest fires spread across several districts, prompting a provincial meeting and a cloud‑seeding operation by BNPB to generate rain and limit the blazes.

  6. 18 days ago

    [CRIME] 6 sources
    Indonesia officials assess fire response after urban blaze in Sorong and forest fires in Aceh West

    Indonesian officials review fire response after an urban blaze in Sorong and forest fires in Aceh West, calling for better equipment and community cooperation.

  7. 20 days ago

    [BUSINESS] 2 sources
    Indonesia battles fires: Karanganyar shoe factory blaze and Tasikmalaya land blazes

    Indonesia faced two major fire incidents in July 2026: a factory blaze in Karanganyar causing up to 10 bn rupiah in damage, and drought‑driven land fires across five districts in Tasikmalaya, both with no human

  8. 22 days ago

    [POLITICS] 3 sources
    Forest Fire in Bengkalis, Riau Spreads to 80 Hectares, Water Bombing Deployed

    A forest fire in Bengkalis, Riau burned about 80 ha; water‑bombing helicopters and teams from Manggala Agni, police, TNI and local agencies are fighting the blaze.

  9. 26 days ago

    [POLITICS] 3 sources
    Aceh forest fire teams extinguish 10.5 ha and warn of monkey displacement

    Aceh fire teams doused 10.5 ha of peatland blaze and warned that forest fires could drive monkeys into nearby villages.

  10. 27 days ago

    [POLITICS] 2 sources
    Indonesia intensifies forest fire mitigation amid 205% rise in hotspots

    Indonesia’s forestry agencies boost fire‑prevention measures as satellite hotspots jump 205%, with over 81,000 ha burned and new sanctions on violators.

  11. 27 days ago

    [POLITICS] 7 sources
    Indonesia battles widespread wildfires and market blazes as drought worsens

    Indonesia confronts several fires this week, including a blaze near a diesel power plant in Bula, market fires in Lamongan and Malang, a forest fire in Ogan Ilir, and over 80 ha of forest fires across four prov

  12. 28 days ago

    [POLITICS] 2 sources
    Indonesia's Environment Minister Orders Zero Fires in All Forest and Palm Oil Concessions

    Indonesia's Environment Minister Jumhur Hidayat ordered all concession holders to prevent any fires, stressing mitigation, water‑level management and rewetting ahead of El Niño 2026.

  13. 29 days ago

    [POLITICS] 3 sources
    Indonesia targets fire‑prone peatland hotspots and sues firms over forest‑fire damages

    Indonesia’s environment ministry targets three peatland fire hotspots for massive tree‑planting and has sued four firms over forest‑fire damages, seeking billions of rupiah in compensation.

  14. about 1 month ago

    [TECHNOLOGY] 3 sources
    Indonesia forest fires burn around 9 hectares in Palangka Raya and Riau

    Forest fires burned ~1.9 ha in Palangka Raya and ~7 ha in Riau, prompting local crews, drones and helicopter water‑bombing to contain the blazes.

Sources

ambon.tribunnews.com · antaranews.com · bandung24jam.republika.co.id · beautynury.com · bengkulu.tribunnews.com · beritajatim.com · ceritaanda.viva.co.id · dnaberita.com · dutatv.com · ekbis.harianjogja.com · halosemarang.id · inews.id · inponews.com · jatim.jpnn.com · jpnn.com · katadata.co.id · langgam.id · m.jpnn.com · malang-post.com · matapantura.republika.co.id · mediaindonesia.com · mongabay.co.id · otomotif.news.viva.co.id · pemilu2024.harianjogja.com · prohaba.tribunnews.com · prokalteng.jawapos.com · ramenten.republika.co.id · regional.liputan6.com · rmol.id · ruzka.republika.co.id · sorong.tribunnews.com · sumsel.sindonews.com · surabayapagi.com

This summary has been updated 6 times: see revision history