Forest Fires: Indonesia Deploys 64 Aircraft, 54,000 Crews - Tempo.co English
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya stated that the government continues to mobilize all available resources to suppress land and forest fires, deploying 64 aircraft and 54,394 personnel to affected regions.
"From the air to the ground, all resources are constantly mobilized. Everything is being done to extinguish the fires, reduce the impact of the smoke, and most importantly, protect the public from the threat of forest and land fires," Teddy said in an official statement cited in Jakarta on Sunday, September 20, 2026.
"Since August, 64 aircraft have been deployed for water bombing, supported by 54,394 joint personnel who continue to operate in the field, reaching fire hotspots and preventing the fires from spreading," he added.
Teddy confirmed that these ground and aerial operations are designed to extinguish the blazes, contain their spread, and safeguard local communities from the health and environmental impacts.
According to him, the vast terrain and challenging peatland conditions complicate these firefighting efforts. Nevertheless, the government remains relentless in overcoming these field obstacles.
"The vast area and difficult peatland conditions pose challenges in managing forest and land fires in various regions of Indonesia. However, extinguishing efforts continue relentlessly, both through ground and air operations," Teddy explained.
The air response fleet includes 55 aircraft from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) and nine from the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), all dedicated to continuous water bombing missions.
On the ground, the 54,394 task force comprises personnel from the TNI, National Police (Polri), Ministry of Forestry, BNPB, Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Manggala Agni, local volunteers, and community members.
Regionally, deployment totals stand at 14,759 personnel in West Kalimantan, 14,382 in Riau and the Riau Islands, 11,026 in South Sumatra, 5,984 in Jambi, 4,686 in Central Kalimantan, and 3,557 in South Kalimantan.
Data from the Ministry of Forestry's SiPongi system, utilizing NASA's Terra/Aqua, SNPP, and NOAA-20 satellites, detected 1,323 high-confidence fire hotspots nationwide as of Saturday, September 19, at 11:59 p.m. Western Indonesian Time (WIB). The figure reflects a sharp surge of 777 hotspots from the 546 recorded on Friday, September 18.
