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Helicopter deployed to extinguish Tangerang landfill fire
The central government, through the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), deployed on Monday a water bomber helicopter to extinguish a fire in the Rawa Kucing landfill in Tangerang, Banten, that has been raging since last week.
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A scavenger at Rawa Kucing landfill, Tangerang, on February 19, 2020 (JP/P.J. Leo)
The central government, through the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), deployed on Monday a water bomber helicopter to extinguish a fire at the Rawa Kucing landfill in Tangerang, Banten, that has been raging since last week.
On Friday afternoon, a fire broke out at the 34.8-hectare Rawa Kucing landfill, spreading to nearby residential areas and burning 80 percent of the landfill as of Sunday morning. Hundreds of people living close to the area have been evacuated.
The Tangerang municipal and Banten provincial disaster mitigation agencies (BPBDs) have since Friday sent 40 fire trucks and 530 firefighters to quench the fire, which was still burning in some parts of the landfill on Monday. Strong wind and the vast pile of flammable waste made the fire spread quickly, hindering firefighters’ efforts to contain the blaze.
The helicopter deployed for water bombing, according to BNPB spokesperson Abdul Muhari, would do 50 rounds of water dropping, each time carrying 800 liters of water. “This morning, the helicopter has started its operation,” Abdul said.
State-owned air navigation firm AirNav is aiding the BNPB’s aerial firefighting.
The BNPB said the cause of the fire was still being investigated, though it suspected that heaps of plastic waste caught fire amid the prolonged dry spell triggered by the El Niño climate pattern.
