Sinabung lava causes fires

The Jakarta Post, Medan, Wednesday October 15 2014,


Blazing lava and the pyroclastic cloud from Mount Sinabung in Karo, North Sumatra, triggered fires in Suka Meriah, a village located around 2.5 kilometers from the volcano’s crater, on Wednesday.

No fatalities or injuries have been reported from the fires as all the Suka Meriah residents were evacuated to temporary shelters last year and not yet been allowed to return.

The Sinabung emergency response commander, Lt. Col. Asep Sukarna, said fires engulfed Suka Meriah village at about 9 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

“We suspect that the village was engulfed in flames caused by lava emanating from Mt. Sinabung because there is blazing lava and pyroclastic cloud in that area,” said Asep, who is also the Karo Military District Command (Kodim) chief.

Suka Meriah is one of locations emptied shortly after Mt. Sinabung erupted last year. Suka Meriah and two other villages, Bekerah and Simacem, were classified as being within the danger zone for lava and the pyroclastic cloud. They are located around 3 kilometers from the volcano’s crater.

The Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) recommended the evacuation of all residents in the three villages in 2013.



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