When the Forest Burns, Yeye Faces Fire and Residents' Complaints

GARISBUMI.com – Forest and land fires cause orangutans to lose their food source and enter people's gardens. In the midst of limited blackouts, officers must also prevent widespread human-animal conflict.

The news from the house came when Mohamad Sahir still had to survive his assignment to handle forest and land fires. His wife and children in Pontianak fell ill due to the smoke haze, as stated in a statement from the Ministry of Forestry.

Sahir, known as Yeye, faces the same smoke in his work. The first expert forestry instructor at the Sukadana and Karimata BKSDA resorts had to walk kilometers to the fire spot, faced limited water, and occasionally spent the night in the forest.

Apart from extinguishing the fire, there are other problems waiting for him: orangutans who have lost their food source and residents whose garden plants have been eaten by the animals.

For Yeye, 42 years old, this series of problems makes the August to October 2026 dry season the toughest assignment period. For two months, he and other personnel focused on dealing with forest and land fires in the Kendawangan and Pembedilan Resort areas.

Fire destroys habitat. The impact then spreads to residents' gardens, human-animal relationships, and the health of officers' families.