PALANGKA RAYA, folitimes.id – A forest and land fire along Kilometer 32 of the Palangka Raya–Banjarmasin section of the Trans Kalimantan highway continues to demand the attention of a joint emergency response team.
Firefighting operations resumed on Monday, July 13, 2026, following an earlier response that had not fully extinguished the blaze.
Deep peat deposits allowed embers to remain active below the ground, forcing responders to continue suppression and cooling operations.
The joint team contained and extinguished flames across approximately 0.83 hectares. However, when the operation ended at 4:47 p.m. Western Indonesia Time, the fire had not been fully extinguished.
Responders therefore needed to continue monitoring and treating the affected area.
Fire Spreads Rapidly Across Deep Peatland
The affected area contains shrubs, ferns, kalakai vegetation, acacia, galam, geronggang, and forest pine trees.
During the dry season, this vegetation acts as natural fuel and accelerates the spread of fire.
Responders also faced deep peat soil capable of storing heat and embers beneath the surface.
This condition makes peat fires difficult to extinguish, even when visible flames above the ground begin to decline.
Field reports indicated that the nearest water source was located in a canal approximately 20 meters from the operational area.
However, personnel could only reach the fire points on foot. The limited access slowed the movement of firefighters and equipment.
More Than a Dozen Agencies Join the Operation
The firefighting operation involved personnel from multiple government agencies and community organizations.
The response team included the Central Kalimantan Provincial Forestry Agency, Manggala Agni Pulang Pisau, the Central Kalimantan Disaster Management Agency, and the Pulang Pisau Disaster Management Agency.
Personnel from the Indonesian National Armed Forces, the Indonesian National Police, KPHP Kahayan Hilir, the Tumbang Nusa Fire Awareness Community, BPK Hiu Putih, and TSAK Bukit Tunggal also joined the operation.
A National Disaster Management Agency helicopter provided aerial water-bombing support.
The Central Kalimantan Police chief and the Jabiren Police chief also inspected the operation to strengthen coordination among the participating agencies.
Responders deployed an operational vehicle, a mini-striker water pump, fire hoses, communication equipment, and manual firefighting tools.
The equipment supported efforts to restrict the fire’s spread and cool the affected peatland.
Difficult Terrain Becomes the Main Obstacle
Muhamad Bagus Mahsum, Firefighting Operations Coordinator at the Central Kalimantan Provincial Forestry Agency, said the peatland’s characteristics created the greatest challenge during the operation.
“Personnel are continuing firefighting, restricting the spread of flames, and cooling the affected area. Our biggest obstacle is that the fire points can only be reached on foot. The deep peat also allows embers to remain active, so the operation must proceed gradually,” Muhamad Bagus Mahsum said on Monday, July 13, 2026.
Bagus said all personnel would remain on alert until the site was completely safe.
Forestry Agency Focuses on Preventing Wider Spread
Agustan Saining, Head of the Central Kalimantan Provincial Forestry Agency, conveyed through Muhamad Bagus Mahsum that all participating units continued strengthening operational coordination.
The main objective was to prevent the fire from spreading into surrounding peatland areas.
“We are optimizing all available personnel together with the relevant agencies so the spread of the fire can be stopped as quickly as possible. Our primary priority is ensuring that the embers inside the peat are completely extinguished so the fire does not reappear,” Agustan Saining said through Muhamad Bagus Mahsum.
Smoke Risk Still Requires Close Monitoring
The fire is located near the Trans Kalimantan highway connecting Palangka Raya and Banjarmasin.
If the blaze intensifies again, smoke could reduce visibility for motorists and worsen air quality around the affected area.
Responders are therefore continuing to monitor active embers while waiting for conditions to become fully controlled.
As of Monday afternoon, firefighting operations remained underway, and authorities had not declared the incident fully resolved.
