Inp.polri.go.id - South Panjang.  The forest and land fires in the Meranti Islands Regency of Riau continued to escalate, encroaching into scrubland vegetation across several villages on Rangsang Island, spanning an area of over 40 hectares. Muhlisin, the Head of the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) in the Meranti Islands, said on Sunday t(24/3/2024) hat the fires on Rangsang Island had five focal points, located in the villages of Telesung, Penyagun, Sungai Gayung Kiri, Renak Dungun, and the border near Mantiasa. While the total extent of the fire is yet to be confirmed, preliminary estimates suggest that two of these points, Telesung and Penyagun villages, have already consumed around 40 hectares of land. Efforts are underway by his team, in collaboration with the military, police, and local communities, to contain and extinguish the fires to prevent further escalation into larger areas. Muhlisin said that the fires, fueled by the scrubland vegetation, are visible even at night, requiring immediate attention given the current extreme weather conditions. "As we enter the dry season, our firefighting team remains vigilant. We maintain round-the-clock monitoring of the burnt areas, despite the fires predominantly affecting scrubland vegetation," he said, as quoted by antaranews.com. According to observations from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in Pekanbaru, there were a total of 79 hotspots detected in Riau on Sunday, with the Meranti Islands Regency and Dumai City being the most heavily affected, recording 34 and 27 hotspots respectively. (mg/inp/pr/nm)