Fires burning through Kerumutan in Pelalawan have reached a wildlife reserve that serves as Sumatran tiger habitat. Conservation officials say no animals have been found directly affected, but monitoring continues as peat fires prove difficult to extinguish.
PEKANBARU, Indonesia — A forest and land fire burning across Kerumutan in Pelalawan Regency, Riau Province, is threatening a protected area that provides habitat for the Sumatran tiger, as firefighters struggle with dry vegetation, thick peat and difficult ground access.
The fire has burned 969 hectares and persisted for nearly a month. More than 600 hectares of fire areas have been extinguished and localized by joint teams working on the ground.
Within the affected area is the Kerumutan Wildlife Reserve, one of the habitat pockets for the protected Sumatran tiger.
Supartono, head of the Riau Natural Resources Conservation Agency, or BBKSDA, said officials had not found wildlife directly affected by the fire as of Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026.
The presence of fire inside the conservation area nevertheless remains a concern because protected wildlife lives there. BBKSDA Riau is continuing to monitor conditions, particularly the safety of Sumatran tigers and other wild animals inside the reserve.
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Fire Returns After Earlier Water-Bombing Operation
Firefighters had previously succeeded in suppressing the blaze after an aerial task force carried out water bombing.
The respite did not last.
Embers buried within the peat layer were affected by weather conditions and strong winds, allowing signs of the fire to return to the surface.
“The forest and land fire in the Kerumutan Wildlife Reserve has been going on for more than a week,” Supartono said. “Water bombing was carried out by the aerial task force and it had been extinguished, but because of the weather and strong winds, the smoke has now appeared again.”
The behavior of the fire highlights the difficulty facing crews trying to contain burning peat, where fire can remain beneath the surface even after visible flames have been suppressed.
Nearly a Month of Fire Has Burned 969 Hectares
Across Kerumutan, the fire has burned continuously for nearly a month and affected 969 hectares of land.
Edy Afrizal, head of the Riau Provincial Disaster Management Agency, or BPBD, said the scale of the incident showed that it was not a short-lived fire.
Joint teams involving the Indonesian military and police, BPBD, Manggala Agni, the Forestry Service and the Public Order Agency have continued working in difficult conditions.
Their operations have begun to produce results.
Despite the extreme terrain, the teams in the field are beginning to achieve positive results. Of the total area burned, more than 600 hectares of fire areas have been successfully extinguished and localized,
Difficult Ground Access Complicates Firefighting
Reaching the leading edge of the fire by land remains one of the biggest challenges for the joint firefighting operation.
Conditions in Kerumutan make some affected areas particularly difficult for ground crews to reach.
The burning landscape consists of dry scrub vegetation growing above thick peat soil, creating conditions that are both highly vulnerable to fire and dangerous for personnel working on the ground.
Those conditions have forced authorities to reinforce the aerial response.
Water-Bombing Helicopters Intensify the Response
With access from the ground constrained, the aerial task force has increased its operations by deploying several water-bombing helicopters provided with assistance from the National Disaster Management Agency, or BNPB, and the Ministry of Forestry.
The aircraft are being used to surround and attack the fire from above while supporting firefighters operating on land.
“We are also maximizing aerial water bombing using helicopters to strengthen the ground teams,” Edy said.
The combined strategy is intended to contain fires that cannot be easily reached from the ground because of the terrain and peat conditions.
The location of the fire has added a wildlife conservation concern to the emergency response.
Kerumutan Wildlife Reserve is a habitat for the Sumatran tiger as well as other wild animals.
Although BBKSDA Riau has not identified any animals directly affected by the blaze, officials are maintaining surveillance as the fire continues within the conservation area.
The priority is to monitor conditions and ensure the safety of Sumatran tigers and other wildlife while firefighting operations continue.
Kerumutan Fire Is Part of a Wider Riau Wildfire Crisis
The Kerumutan blaze is one part of a broader wave of forest and land fires affecting 12 regencies and cities across Riau Province.
From January through August, the cumulative area burned across the province has exceeded 16,000 hectares.
Against that wider backdrop, crews in Kerumutan continue confronting a fire that combines difficult access, dry scrub and deep peat with the additional challenge of protecting a conservation area inhabited by protected wildlife.
More than 600 hectares of the affected fire areas have already been extinguished and localized despite the extreme terrain, while strengthened aerial operations and ground teams continue the response.
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