Devastating wildfires have engulfed more than 100 hectares of forest in Sipitu Dai Village, Sianjur Mula-mula District, Samosir Regency, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The fires, which began on Sunday, July 14, 2024, continue to spread rapidly, posing a significant threat to the region.

As of the early hours of Tuesday, July 16, 2024, the fire remains uncontained despite continuous efforts to extinguish it. Yuliani Siregar, Head of the North Sumatra Environment and Forestry Service, confirmed the extensive damage and the ongoing battle against the blaze.

"The area burned is more than 100 hectares and is likely to continue to increase. Some of the fire has been extinguished. We, together with officers and residents, are still trying to extinguish the fire until now," Yuliani stated early on Tuesday morning.

The challenging and steep terrain, particularly around the ravines, has significantly hampered firefighting efforts. Video footage from the evening of July 15, 2024, shows the fire still burning intensely, with flames continuing to advance into the early morning of July 16, 2024.

Local authorities and residents are working tirelessly to combat the fires, but the scale and speed of the blaze underscore the urgent need for additional resources and support to prevent further destruction.

Fires have hit the forest in Sipitu Dai Village, Sianjur Mula-mula District, Samosir Regency, North Sumatra, Indonesia since Sunday 14 July 2024.

The fast-moving fire has burned more than 100 hectares of land, and is likely to continue to spread. The fire continues until now, Tuesday 16 July 2024, in the early hours of the morning.

Head of the North Sumatra Environment and Forestry Service, Yuliani Siregar, said the forest and land fire (karhutla) was estimated to be more than 100 hectares in area.

"The area burned is more than 100 hectares and is likely to continue to increase. Some of the fire has been extinguished. We, together with officers and residents, are still trying to extinguish the fire until now," said Yuliani, when confirmed on July 16 2024, early in the morning.

Efforts to extinguish the fire continued even though the challenging, steep terrain on the side of the ravine hampered the extinguishing process.

In video footage taken on the evening of 15 July 2024, it can be seen that the fire is still burning until today, 16 July 2024 in the morning.