A forest fire on Indonesia’s Sumatra island has razed nearly 300 homes, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate, an official said Tuesday, as the country battles devastating blazes and haze.
Residents first spotted the fire approaching their village in the Bangka Belitung province on Saturday and tried to put it out themselves with portable water pumps, mayor Riza Herdavid told reporters. “They thought it was taken care of. But it’s peatland, and there was still a fire smouldering underneath. So, when they assumed it was over, the wind shifted and quickly drove the fire towards the settlement.”
The local disaster agency said nearly 1,000 people fled the village.
“My house is gone,” Leni, a 55-year-old villager now staying at a shelter with her family, told AFP. “There’s nothing left. I could only save myself and take my kids with me… I panicked and didn’t have the time to grab anything,” said Leni, who like many Indonesians has one name.
Another survivor, Haryanti, said strong winds had fuelled the flames, which ravaged homes made mostly of wood. “I immediately ran to save myself. None of my belongings survived… only the clothes on my back,” the 50-yearold homemaker told AFP.
AFP
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