Jakarta outskirts landfill fire at Jatiwaringin spreads over 15 hectares, officials say

Landfill blaze at Jatiwaringin displaces residents and raises health concerns

The Jatiwaringin landfill on the outskirts of Jakarta has been burning since 30 June, officials and local authorities reported, spreading across more than 15 hectares and forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate.

Firefighters deployed helicopters, water tankers, bulldozers and drones to tackle smouldering pockets inside piled waste, while the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said the fire is challenging because it burns underground within compacted rubbish.

Local health authorities examined 234 people with respiratory complaints linked to the smoke, identifying 72 cases of acute respiratory tract infection, the authorities reported as hazardous air quality blanketed nearby neighbourhoods.

Residents described thick, toxic smoke entering homes and forcing families to shelters established by the local government; one resident, Sarmanah, told the BBC she fled with her child because she could not breathe.

Environmental group Walhi suggested the blaze may have been triggered by accumulated methane from decomposing organic waste in an open dumping system, a claim that links the fire to broader waste management failures in Tangerang Regency.

Walhi campaigner Wahyu Eka Styawan said the landfill was overwhelmed by regional waste generation and that uncontrolled open dumps have produced nearby trash mountains, creating pockets of methane that ignite when exposed to sparks or heat.

Officials noted past large-scale landfill fires across Indonesia in 2023, and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry said Jatiwaringin received administrative sanctions in 2025 for poor management and will be included in a nationwide evaluation of 390 landfills in early August 2026.

The ministry also instructed local governments to adopt controlled landfill practices—compacting waste and covering it periodically with soil—to reduce methane buildup, fire risk and disease hazards, the ministry’s deputy for environmental law enforcement, Rizal Irawan, said.

Local and national authorities aim to extinguish the Jatiwaringin fire by the end of the week, while activists warn that without sustained waste reduction, sorting and organic processing, similar landfill fires remain likely when hot weather returns.