Riau reports zero active forest and land fires

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3 hours ago

Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA) – Riau’s Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) reported no active forest and land fires on Sunday after joint teams battled blazes across the province in recent weeks.

Riau Disaster Mitigation Agency Chief Edy Afrizal said the fires were under control. Despite no active fires, authorities remained on alert for potential flare-ups.

“Thankfully, Riau has zero forest and land fires today. There are no active fires we are handling,” Edy said in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau Province, on Sunday.

However, all personnel remain on standby and monitoring continues because conditions on the ground can change at any time, he said, adding that the improving situation reflected joint efforts by personnel working in the field.

Firefighting, cooling operations, and patrols continued to prevent previously burned areas from reigniting, Edy said.

Meanwhile, Riau Police Public Relations Head Senior Commissioner Akmadi said the zero-fire status would not ease prevention efforts. Patrols and monitoring continued, particularly in fire-prone and peatland areas.

“We must maintain zero forest and land fires today. Personnel continue to conduct patrols and prevention efforts,” Akmadi said.

“We must not let our vigilance decline once the situation is under control, because fires could break out again,” he said.

The Riau Police also continued preventive measures through public outreach and monitoring of activities that could trigger fires. Residents were reminded not to clear or prepare land by burning.

They were also urged to immediately report any signs of fire, Akmadi said.

“Collaboration among local governments, the military and police, the disaster agency, Manggala Agni, businesses and communities remains key to preventing fires from recurring,” he said.