Forest fire burns 5 hectares in North Sulawesi, fully extinguished

hartono · Jul 23, 2026

Forest fire burns 5 hectares in North Sulawesi, fully extinguished

Head of the Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Center at BNPB, Abdul Muhari, during a podcast with ANTARA in Jakarta on Tuesday (February 10, 2026). (ANTARA/M Riezko Bima Elko Prasetyo)

Jakarta (ANTARA) - A local joint response team has successfully extinguished a forest and land fires in North Sulawesi’s Minahasa District, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

Abdul Muhari, Head of the Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Center at BNPB, stated in Jakarta on Thursday that the fire broke out in Watulaney Amian Village, East Lembean Sub-district, on Tuesday afternoon (July 21).

Although the blaze has been put out, BNPB confirmed that it burned at least five hectares of dry vegetation.

"A local joint response team acted swiftly to contain the fire, successfully extinguishing it completely by Wednesday (July 22)," he said.

Abdul explained that the firefighting effort was carried out collaboratively by the Minahasa District Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), the Fire Department, and local village officials, with no casualties reported.

In light of the rising frequency of forest and land fires and drought incidents during the dry season, BNPB called on local governments and the public to remain vigilant and step up mitigation efforts.

Local governments are urged to bolster the operational readiness of command posts, identify areas at risk of clean water shortages, and ensure that firefighting personnel are fully prepared in fire-prone areas.

Meanwhile, the public is advised to refrain from using fire and to conserve clean water.

BNPB also encouraged residents to stay informed by monitoring disaster and weather updates through official channels, including the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), local BPBD offices, and relevant government agencies.

"Readiness across all sectors is key to preventing fires, minimizing disaster impacts, and safeguarding the public," Abdul emphasized.