Three Forest and Land Fire Suspects in Samarinda, One Even Blocks Residents from Putting Out Fire

He noted the burning was RS's own initiative, which then caused the fire to spread beyond the intended area.

As a result, the extinguishing efforts required coordination involving the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Samarinda Police Department, Military District Command (Kodim), and volunteers.

Thick Haze Envelopes Samarinda

Hendri said police are currently investigating three additional karhutla cases, and if sufficient evidence is found, more suspects may be named.

Besides enforcement, the Samarinda Police are conducting preventive measures in areas vulnerable to forest and land fires, especially Sambutan, Palaran, North Samarinda, and Sungai Pinang districts.

Authorities have installed bans on land burning, circulated the East Kalimantan Police Chief's public notices, and conducted joint patrols with the TNI (Indonesian Military), BPBD, fire services, and volunteers.

Almost all districts in Samarinda now have integrated posts dedicated to handling forest and land fires.

Meanwhile, Hendri mentioned that the smoke haze in Samarinda has been quite thick in recent days. He noted that the smoke does not only originate from fires within the city but potentially drifts in from surrounding areas such as Kutai Kartanegara, West Kutai, and East Kutai.

"Due to the limited rainfall so far, the movement of smoke and effects from these fires have also impacted areas within Samarinda City," he said.

The suspects face charges under Article 108 of Law Number 1 of 2023 of the Criminal Code, punishable by up to nine years in prison.

They are also charged under Article 108 of Law Number 32 of 2009 on Environmental Protection and Management, which carries a minimum sentence of three years, a maximum sentence of 10 years, and fines ranging from Rp 3 billion to Rp 10 billion for those responsible for land burning.