Police in Samarinda, East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia, have detained a couple suspected of intentionally burning land. Initial investigations show the pair deliberately set fire to clear debris left after preparing the field for rice planting, in order to speed up land reclamation work.
Samarinda Police Chief, Deputy Superintendent Amirudin, stated on Friday that police dispatched officers to the scene immediately after receiving reports from residents about a fire, launching an urgent investigation.
He said that after arriving, personnel from the Samarinda police and local substation, along with firefighters, volunteers, and residents, worked together to control the blaze and prevent it from spreading to nearby areas.
Police then questioned the couple suspected of arson at the scene.
Initial investigations found that the pair admitted to intentionally burning about half a hectare of land to clear debris after land preparation and accelerate rice planting.
Amirudin pointed out that burning land for reclamation during the dry season may cause the fire to quickly get out of control, especially when vegetation is withered and the risk of wildfire is much higher.
The couple was subsequently taken to the Samarinda Police Headquarters to assist with further investigation.
Currently, Samarinda is under emergency response status due to an increase in land fires during the drought season.
According to the Samarinda Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), as of Thursday, there have been 102 cases of land fires in the local area this year, affecting about 160 hectares.
The current emergency response status lasts for 14 days, from August 26 to September 7; Samarinda had previously declared a state of emergency alert as of August 20.
Amirudin urged residents to adopt safer ways to handle agricultural waste and never clear land through burning.
He said that authorities are also calling on all parties and volunteers to carry out fire prevention campaigns and educate residents to avoid land burning, in order to protect the environment and reduce the risk of fire.