Sawt Falasteen - Indonesia says landfill fire near Jakarta extinguished

The Jatiwaringin landfill in the Tangerang district west of Jakarta caught fire on June 30, prompting the local government to declare a two-week emergency.

More than 230 people earlier evacuated the area and 331 cases of acute respiratory syndrome were reported, with no hospitalisations, according to the local disaster mitigation agency.

The fire -- which burned an area at the landfill measuring around 15 hectares (37 acres) -- had been completely extinguished by Thursday evening, National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said in a statement.

Firefighters were carrying out an "intensive" cooling-down phase to douse the site, he added.

"The joint team... remains on full alert to accelerate total wetting" of the burned area, Abdul said, adding that all of the evacuees had returned to their homes.

The haze from the fire as well as the water bombing by helicopters did not disrupt operations at the nearby Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Environment ministry official Rizal Irawan said last week that authorities will investigate the cause of the fire, according to local media.

Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) warned that the country's dry season will be more intense and prolonged than average -- in part due to the El Nino weather pattern heightening risks of wildfires and droughts.

G.AbuOdeh--SF-PST