Arson suspected in wildfire that burned ancient graves in Indonesia’s North Toraja

A forest and land fire in North Toraja, South Sulawesi, burned woodland and spread to ancient stone graves set into cliffs, damaging several coffins, local officials said on Monday.

The fire broke out in Salurea Rangri hamlet, Baruppu Utara village, in Baruppu district, and continued from Friday, 23 October, to Saturday, 24 October.

Riantho Yusuf Sangkelo, head of North Toraja’s Civil Service Police Unit and Fire and Rescue Department, said the fire had affected burial sites known locally as liang.

“There were dozens of liang across three separate locations. Some of the coffins were burned,” Riantho said.

Around 50 sets of human remains were estimated to have been affected by the fire, Kumparan reported.

Residents report suspected arson

Authorities suspect the fire may have been deliberately started, although the cause has not been established and no suspect has been identified.

“Perhaps there was an element of deliberate action, or someone did it for fun. That is information from the public,” Riantho said.

He said residents had reportedly seen someone starting a fire near the affected area and tried to chase the person, but the individual escaped.

“The cause was that someone had reportedly seen a person setting a fire. Perhaps it was done for fun or for some other reason, but the residents chased them and the person’s identity is still unknown,” he said.

The suspected arson has not been confirmed by investigators in the reports.

Difficult terrain hampers firefighting

Firefighters faced difficulties reaching the site because the road was unsuitable for vehicles, Riantho said.

“Our vehicles could not get in to carry out firefighting because access to the area was difficult,” he said.

Personnel from North Toraja’s Civil Service Police Unit and Fire and Rescue Department used equipment provided by Manggala Agni, Indonesia’s forest and land fire-control force, to help contain the blaze.

“We were supporting our colleagues from Manggala Agni. We used their equipment there, including their pumps,” Riantho said.

The operation involved a joint team comprising North Toraja’s Civil Service Police Unit and Fire and Rescue Department, Manggala Agni, KPA, military village supervisory officers known as Babinsa, and police community officers known as Bhabinkamtibmas.

The teams entered the affected area to carry out firefighting operations despite the difficult access.