The forest area on Mount Orak-Arik, Ngetal Village, Pogalan District, Trenggalek Regency, was hit by a land fire on Friday (10/7/2026). The incident consumed around three hectares of vegetation, including bamboo groves, brushwood, and hardwood trees such as rosewood (sono) and albizia (alba).
Reports of hotspots received by the police at around 12:30 WIB were immediately responded to by a joint team consisting of members from the TNI, Polri, Trenggalek BPBD, Perhutani, and local residents. Firefighting efforts faced obstacles due to the steep hilly terrain and the large amount of dry grass material, which caused the fire to spread rapidly.
To handle the situation, field officers carried out manual firefighting using simple equipment. Pogalan Police Chief, AKP Henri Agus Sutrisno, explained that the team used the "gepyok" method (beating the fire) with wet branches as well as portable fire extinguishers to localize the flames. After fighting for three hours, the fire was finally completely extinguished at 15:30 WIB.
Facing the peak of the dry season, the police issued a stern warning to residents not to engage in activities that could potentially trigger fires, such as burning trash carelessly or discarding cigarette butts in forest areas. The public is urged to immediately report via the 110 call center if they spot signs of fire so that mitigation measures can be taken promptly before the fire spreads.
