LANDAK, thekabarnews.com– A forest and land fire (karhutla) has burned an estimated 50 hectares near Dusun Pampang in Sidas village, Sengah Temila district, Landak regency, West Kalimantan. Authorities are building firebreaks as flames threaten nearby settlements.

Landak Regent Karolin Margret Natasa visited the affected area on Tuesday, September 1, to coordinate the emergency response. She also distributed protective masks to residents and personnel who were working amid thick smoke.

“Temporarily, we estimate the affected area at 50 hectares. Residents have also helped us since last night because the fire is close to the settlements,” Karolin said during the inspection, according to Aksaraloka.

The smoke reduced visibility. Meanwhile, difficult terrain and limited water supplies prevented crews from reaching the center of the fire safely. Authorities shifted their focus from direct suppression to containing the spread of the fire.

“We can no longer extinguish the fire directly at its center, so we are blocking its spread at several points that we have identified,” Karolin said.

Personnel from the Indonesian Military (TNI), National Police (Polri), Manggala Agni fire brigade, local disaster authorities and surrounding communities took part in the response.

The teams worked to prevent the fire from advancing toward Pampang and other nearby settlements.

Officials also considered requesting aerial water bombing. Karolin said dense smoke and poor visibility could endanger flight crews.

Ground teams therefore continued constructing firebreaks while monitoring changes in wind direction and fire movement.

During the inspection, Karolin said the fire appeared to have spread from an abandoned area associated with a former land-use concession held by PT Ichtiar Gusti Pudi (PT IGP). The company had reportedly stopped operating after bankruptcy proceedings.

“This is an abandoned land-use concession area belonging to PT IGP, which has been declared bankrupt and no longer operates. But the fire came from that direction. We still need to check whether the point lies inside the company’s concession,” she said.

Her statement did not establish that PT IGP caused the fire. Local authorities still needed to record the coordinates, verify the concession boundary and determine the point of ignition.

Investigators had not publicly identified the cause when this article was prepared.

Landak had already maintained a forest and land fire (karhutla) alert status from July 1 to October 31, 2026.

Following worsening fires and smoke, the local government moved to establish a 14-day emergency-response period from September 1 to 14. This period will be subject to daily evaluation.

The Landak incident forms part of a broader fire emergency across Indonesia. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported that about 48,889 hectares had burned across six priority provinces by August 9.

West Kalimantan accounted for approximately 28,680 hectares, the largest area among the six provinces at that point.

Distributing masks formed part of the immediate effort to limit residents’ exposure to smoke.

The World Health Organization identifies fine particulate matter, particularly PM2.5, as the principal public health threat in wildfire smoke. Exposure can irritate the eyes and respiratory tract and worsen asthma or other existing illnesses.

Masks alone cannot eliminate the risks, especially when smoke concentrations remain high.

Residents near the fire should follow local health instructions. They should reduce unnecessary outdoor activity and seek medical assistance if they develop breathing difficulties.

Karolin said rainfall would significantly improve conditions as crews continued containment work.

“Hopefully, rain will come. Please pray that it rains. If it does, the situation can become safer,” she said.