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View all search resultsMassive fires hit three landfills across the country as dry season intensifies
At least 43 landfills across Indonesia have been hit by major fires this year, highlighting the environmental and safety risks associated with the country’s continued reliance on open dumping.
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Residents watch on Wednesday as flames engulf piles of garbage at Jatibarang Landfill in Semarang, Central Java. The Semarang Fire and Rescue Agency deployed 50 firefighters and seven fire trucks to tackle the blaze. (Antara Foto/Aprillio Akbar)
T
hree landfills across Indonesia have caught fire in recent days as a prolonged dry spell intensifies, once again highlighting the risks associated with open dumping practices.
A massive fire broke out on Wednesday night at the Jatibarang Landfill in Semarang, the largest dumpsite in Central Java, burning about 10 hectares of the 46-ha site, local authorities said.
Seven fire trucks and 50 firefighters were still battling the blaze on Thursday morning as it continued to spread through the landfill.
Tantri Pradono, head of operations and rescue at the Semarang Fire and Rescue Agency said that the firefighting effort has been hampered by the scale of the blaze and a shortage of heavy machinery needed to reach fires burning deep within the waste piles.
“Excavators are needed to dig up and turn over the piles of waste so that water can reach the deeper layers. Simply spraying water on the surface is not effective enough, as hot spots can reemerge from below,” he said on Thursday as quoted by Kompas.id.
Tantri said only two excavators were currently available to assist with the operation, half the number ideally needed to tackle a fire covering about 10 ha.
Firefighting efforts were further complicated by methane gas trapped beneath the waste piles, which could fuel the fire and allow it to spread under the waste piles.
