Indonesia landfill fire sickens hundreds near Jakarta

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Health authorities have examined at least 234 residents for breathing problems after a landfill fire near Jakarta entered its second week, with the blaze now covering 15 hectares of the Jatiwaringin waste site in Tangerang Regency, according to BBC News.

Starting on June 30, the fire was set off when a small spark caught in gusting winds and jumped to multiple parts of the site, including deep piles of waste that emergency crews have found nearly impossible to access. Indonesia's Ministry of Environment recorded hazardous air quality readings in the vicinity of the landfill, although monitoring data show some improvement over recent days.

Among those seen by health workers, 72 were diagnosed with acute respiratory tract infections, according to BBC News. Local government opened a shelter to accommodate the hundreds of residents who could not remain in their homes. Sarmanah, a 45-year-old resident, described to BBC News how the toxic smoke became so overwhelming inside her home that she had no choice but to evacuate with her child.

According to BBC News, Djohan Darmawan, Director of Emergency Operations Control Coordination at the National Disaster Management Agency, explained that the fire poses an unusual challenge for crews because it is burning from within the compacted waste rather than at the surface. Helicopters, water tankers, bulldozers, and drones have been deployed.

The environmental group Walhi attributed the fire to methane gas accumulating from decomposing organic waste at an unregulated open dumping site. Wahyu Eka Styawan, a campaigner with the organization, told BBC News that the site's intake limit of 2,700 tons per day falls well short of what the regency actually produces, accounting for only 59% of Tangerang Regency's total waste output.

Rizal Irawan, Deputy for Environmental Law Enforcement at Indonesia's Ministry of Environment and Forestry, told BBC News that a formal inquiry into the fire's origin will be launched once the blaze is out, and that the ministry has scheduled reviews of 390 landfills nationwide for early August 2026. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry had previously issued administrative sanctions against the Jatiwaringin site over management failures in 2025.

Jakarta-area landfill fire enters second week as hundreds fall ill from toxic smoke

Toxic smoke from the 15-hectare fire has forced residents from their homes, with environmental monitors recording hazardous air quality in surrounding neighborhoods

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