National

State of emergency declared due to massive fire at Indonesian landfill

Aug 25, 2023

Jakarta [Indonesia], August 25: The government of Indonesia's West Java province declared a state of emergency when a fire broke out at a landfill over the weekend that consumed 15 hectares of land.
A fire broke out at Sarimukti landfill in West Bandung region of West Java province ( Indonesia ) late last week but has not been extinguished so far, affecting thousands of local residents.
Governor Ridwan Kamil said the fire was started by a cigarette butt that was thrown to the ground by someone. However, he did not elaborate on the incident and it is not clear who is responsible.
West Bandung government leader Hengky Kurniawan announced that "water bombs" were needed to put out the fire, that is, by plane. The politician declared a state of emergency in the area, helping the national disaster mitigation agency to assist while local authorities lacked the means to control the fire .
The 25-hectare Sarimukti landfill is a dumping ground for the waste of many cities and surrounding communities, including Bandung, one of Indonesia 's most populous cities .
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper