Fires spread across Mount Cikuray and Mount Guntur foothills, destroying 5 hectares of Perhutani land

Fires broke out in the Mount Cikuray area and at the foot of Mount Guntur in Garut, West Java, with about five hectares of Perhutani land reportedly destroyed.

Joint teams began fighting the fires after they were first detected on Saturday afternoon at six points in Rancabango village, in Tarogong Kaler district. Another fire later started on Saturday night at the foot of Mount Cikuray, in Mekarjaya village, Cikajang district.

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The points located near settlements are the priority to prevent the fire from spreading and endangering the community.

Police, military personnel, the regional disaster management agency, firefighters and other teams prioritized locations close to homes. At Mount Guntur, they worked manually with portable sprayers and firebreaks because firefighting vehicles could not reach the area.

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We are also continuing to monitor all points to anticipate new hotspots or the possibility of the fire spreading to other areas.

The fire was brought under control by Saturday evening and did not spread toward residential areas, although crews continued monitoring for flare-ups. The Mount Cikuray fire was extinguished near midnight after teams created an earthen boundary around the flames. The site was far from homes and could only be reached on foot, along a difficult route that took about two hours.

“The cause of the fire is still unknown and is still being documented,” said Garut police public relations chief Ipda Susilo Adhi.

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The cause of the fire is still unknown and is still being documented.