Garbage Disposal Site Fire in Desa Arahan Lor Indramayu Suspected to Be Triggered by Carelessly Discarded Cigarette Butt

INDRAMAYU, KOMPAS.com - A fire broke out at the waste disposal site (TPS) located in Desa Arahan Lor, Desa Arahan, Arahan District, Indramayu Regency, on Friday afternoon (18/9/2026).

Investigations revealed that the fire was caused by a cigarette butt carelessly discarded by an irresponsible individual.

Head of the Fire Department at the Satpol PP and Fire Service of Indramayu Regency, Jajat Wibisono, confirmed that the situation at the scene has returned to safe conditions after firefighters successfully extinguished the blaze.

"The object that caught fire was a pile of garbage on land owned by the Arahan Lor Village Government. The suspected cause was a still-burning cigarette butt," Jajat said on-site on Friday (18/9/2026).

The fire report was initially received by officers at 11:53 a.m. WIB. Ten crew members were immediately deployed to the location.

The team arrived at the scene at 12:15 p.m. WIB and promptly began firefighting efforts. Fortunately, the TPS was not full at that time, allowing the fire to be quickly controlled.

To ensure no remaining hotspots, officers also conducted a thorough sweep of the garbage piles.

"By 12:35 p.m. WIB, the fire was completely extinguished. We also carried out rechecks to confirm that the area was entirely safe," Jajat added.

After successfully putting out the TPS fire, the firefighters did not immediately return to base. Another fire report was received shortly thereafter.

This time, the reported fire involved a three-wheeled motorcycle, commonly known by locals as a grandong.

The team quickly rushed to the second location in Desa Cidempet, Arahan District.

"We went straight to Cidempet. Besides the grandong vehicle, the fire also spread to nearby land due to spilled fuel carried by the vehicle. Thankfully, we managed to extinguish it quickly as well," said Jajat.

Regarding the TPS fire incident in Desa Arahan Lor, Jajat reminded the people of Indramayu Regency to exercise greater caution and refrain from discarding cigarette butts carelessly—especially in areas filled with piles of dry materials or garbage that can easily catch fire during the dry season.

"We remind everyone again not to throw cigarette butts anywhere carelessly. In this dry season, such actions have a high potential to trigger fires," Jajat emphasized.