'Keep up the spirit': Indonesian teenage 'Superman' joins wildfire fight
Fires between January and July burned more than 200,000 hectares of land - an area three times the size of the capital Jakarta, the Indonesian government said this week.
In Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, 17-year-old Rudiyansah has been joining his father in battling wildfires by dressing up as his favorite superhero, Superman. The Southeast Asian nation has been grappling with devastating infernos that have blanketed parts of Borneo in thick smog. Rudiyansah, who has been helping his father fight the fires since 2023, decided to wear his Superman costume this year, creating a striking image that has drawn nationwide attention.
While the teenager said his Superman attire was simply for fun, his heroic efforts have earned him the title of "forest hero" from the country's forestry minister. His father, Mulyadi, noted that this year's fire season has been the worst they have seen since the group was established in 2020. The lack of water and dried-up wells were the main challenges faced by firefighters, exacerbating the situation during the drought.
The government has responded by ordering more troop and aircraft deployments to help contain the spread of the blazes and smog, which have reached Malaysia. Rudiyansah, aspiring to become a forest ranger one day, urged firefighters to persevere in the fight against the flames, encouraging them to "keep up the spirit" in the face of adversity.
Written by urgent.news from Channel News Asia's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
