National Forest and Forestry Hotspots Down, South Sumatra (Sumsel) Records 184 Spots and Riau Zero

Minister of Forestry Reviews Forest and Land Fires and Sumatran Elephant Habitat

Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni on Thursday, September 17 2026, directly inspected the handling of forest and land fires as well as the condition of the Sumatran Elephant habitat in the Padang Sugihan Wildlife Reserve, South Sumatra (Sumsel).

The inspection was carried out at the Elephant Conservation Center or PKG Line 21. The Padang Sugihan area is one of the important habitat areas for Sumatran elephants.

A total of 29 assisted elephants in PKG Line 21 are reported to be in good condition. Temporary monitoring results also show that all the elephants have not experienced health problems due to exposure to forest and land fire smoke.

The Ministry of Forestry explained that Hotspots are an indication of surface temperature anomalies detected by satellites. The appearance of a hotspot does not necessarily indicate a single fire event because one fire can produce several hot spots.

Therefore, every hotspot indication must be verified through direct checks to determine actual conditions in the field.

53 Air Fleet Alerted

Manggala Agni together with the TNI, Polri, BNPB, BMKG, BPBD, local government, community, business world and related elements continue to carry out integrated patrols and field inspections.

Other efforts include direct extinguishing, blocking the spread of fire, mopping up, wetting and cooling the affected area.