Tangerang landfill fire extinguished, emergency status remains

The massive fire that engulfed the Jatiwaringin landfill in Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia, has finally been extinguished after a relentless 10-day battle. While visible flames and smoke have disappeared from the waste processing site, the Tangerang Regency government has maintained its disaster emergency response status until July 14, 2026.

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After surveying the entire location, both the west and east sectors up to the peak of the pile, Alhamdulillah, no more smoke and fire were found. According to BNPB's direction, we will continue to carry out watering in an effort to cool down all locations at the Jatiwaringin Landfill.

Joint teams are diligently working to cool down the smoldering waste, meticulously dousing remaining hot spots to prevent any resurgence of the fire. Bupati Tangerang, Maesyal Rasyid, confirmed that surveys across the entire landfill area revealed no further signs of smoke or fire. He stated that the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) and the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) would continue their cooling efforts as per BNPB's directives.

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This will be completed by the 14th. We will then see after the 14th whether it needs to be extended or if the condition is already calm like now. We will see on the 14th.

The decision to extend the emergency status hinges on ongoing intensive monitoring. Rasyid explained that an evaluation after July 14 would determine whether to prolong the status or if conditions have sufficiently stabilized. The BNPB has pledged to keep air support and personnel on standby, ready to assist local authorities in combating any potential flare-ups.

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So our fleets, air [support], if needed by the Regent or other regional heads for extinguishing forest and land fires or landfills, we are ready to help.

In light of the incident, Riswandi, Head of Tactical Control and Operations Evaluation at BNPB, urged local governments managing waste processing sites to bolster their mitigation strategies, especially during the dry season. He emphasized the need for proactive measures, such as increased wetting of waste, given the BMKG's forecast of extremely hot and dry weather. The Tangerang Regency administration is also planning to construct artificial ponds, or 'embung,' around the landfill as part of its post-fire infrastructure development.

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And also in the future, this is also a lesson for all of us who have areas or have landfills to mitigate potential fires like what happened here. Starting with wetting and so on because the weather, according to the BMKG forecast, is very hot and extreme.