A powerful moment of celebration has been recorded in Indonesia, where volunteer firefighters have erupted in celebration after rains brought an end to a long spell of devastating forest fires. After months of battling flames, toxic smoke and scorching temperatures, they have been seen jumping, hugging each other and kneeling to touch the wet ground.
The footage, which is making the rounds on social media, shows the great relief of the firefighters, for whom the rain was not just a change in the weather, but the help they had been waiting for for months.
The touching scenes were filmed in the Palakkaraya region, in Central Kalimantan province, where forest fires have swept across vast areas since August, causing severe air pollution.
On Wednesday evening, October 28, as another downpour swept through the area, firefighters took to the streets, jumped into puddles of water, and knelt in gratitude.
Volunteer firefighter Lukman El Hakim recounted to Agence France-Presse the emotions they experienced when the rains began.
"We were overjoyed. All of us volunteers were so happy that we fell to the ground to express our gratitude. Thank God it finally rained," he said.
The gesture of the firefighters, who touched the ground with their foreheads, is an act of gratitude in Islamic tradition, known as "sujud syukur".
Similar scenes were recorded on October 25 in the Banjar district of South Kalimantan, where volunteer firefighters, still wearing uniforms and holding water hoses, celebrated the return of rainfall.
Indonesia is facing a difficult period of forest fires, which have destroyed large areas of forest and peatlands.
Prolonged drought, high temperatures and weather conditions linked to the El Niño phenomenon have fuelled the fires. Thick smoke has blanketed residential areas, worsening air quality and affecting the daily lives of millions of people.
The toxic haze has also crossed Indonesia's borders, affecting neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore.
Authorities have also raised concerns about the practice of clearing agricultural land by burning vegetation, known as the “slash and burn” method. This method is used to prepare land for cultivation and, despite bans, continues to be one of the factors contributing to the outbreak of fires.
Although the rain has brought relief to firefighters and residents, the crisis is not considered over. Meteorologists warn that the rain may be temporary and not uniform in all areas, while dry conditions may continue in the most at-risk territories.
Authorities are also monitoring the development of the El Niño phenomenon, amid concerns that the drought period could last longer.
