PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi directly monitored the forest and land fire extinguishing process in the Mount Ciremai Kuningan National Park area using a water-bombing helicopter. After two days of intensive handling, the fire was declared relatively extinguished.

"Today, the helicopters have already deployed water bombs. I was out and about in the helicopter earlier, checking priority locations. And the water has already been reduced," said KDM—the governor's nickname—at the Pakuan Building on Friday (October 23, 2026).

Based on the results of aerial monitoring, the area burned in TNGC was recorded as 30 hectares, not 60 hectares as the circulating issue.

"Thirty hectares were burned. After yesterday's handling, only 20 percent remains. And that's in less vulnerable fire areas," the Governor explained.

To ensure the fire does not spread, the West Java Provincial Government deployed helicopters assisted by the Ministry of Defense, TNI Headquarters, Air Force, and BNPB to carry out water bombing in hard-to-reach areas.

"So we worked together to complete Ciremai quickly. And we succeeded; it only took two days," he stressed.

The Governor explained that the terrain of Mount Ciremai differs from forest and land fires in Kalimantan. While in Kalimantan, the fires spread sideways, in Ciremai, the fires spread upwards, and water resources are limited.

Therefore, the provincial government implemented a blocking strategy by re-functioning natural canals in the forest.

"It turns out that the forest naturally contains a river that serves as a canal. The canal already existed. Today, I mobilized 500 people to restore the canal to its original function. They removed the trash so that when the water comes down, it will block the canal's flow, preventing people from crossing in the event of a fire," the governor explained.

Warnings and Appeals

The governor appealed to the public not to clear land by burning ahead of the November planting season.

"Yes, maybe someone burned weeds. It's common practice around November. Ordinary people, farmers, like to plant. So, it won't be allowed anymore," he warned.

The governor also announced a competition for the theft of sonokeling wood. "Anyone who can provide information on the sonokeling thieves will be rewarded with 10 million rupiah," he said.

In response to his absence from the state event, the Governor has coordinated with the State Secretary and the Cabinet Secretary.

"I've already conveyed my absence from the president's event to the State Secretary. Yesterday morning, I sent him a WhatsApp message. "Sir, I'm asking for direction. There's a fire in Ciremai. The President has given me direction to handle the situation in Ciremai. I also reported it to the Cabinet Secretary. So, we carried it out yesterday with his knowledge. The WhatsApp message is also available," the Governor concluded.