23.08.2026 17:50
Among the volunteers battling forest fires on Indonesia's Borneo Island, one name stood out. Rudiansyah, 17, entered the fire zone in a Superman costume to support firefighting efforts. After images of the young volunteer amid the flames and thick smoke showed his desperate efforts, he was declared a forest hero.
As forest fires continue to impact Indonesia's Borneo Island, images of a young man in the fire zone have drawn great attention. Rudiansyah, a 17-year-old resident of Palangka Raya, wore a Superman costume while fighting the flames with a volunteer team established by his father. The images were viewed millions of times in a short period.
WITH SUPERMAN COSTUME AMID THE FLAMES
Rudiansyah is supporting efforts to extinguish forest and land fires affecting the Petuk Katimpun area of Palangka Raya. The young man, using a hose in his red-and-blue Superman costume to wet the vegetation and burning areas, continues his work alongside local volunteers.
The young man, who joined the volunteer firefighting group established by his father Mulyadi, says he helps his father in his spare time after school. Speaking to AFP, Rudiansyah stated he has been supporting firefighting efforts since 2023.
"I WEAR IT JUST FOR FUN"
Rudiansyah, who says wearing the Superman costume while responding to fires attracts attention, mentioned he started using the costume in firefighting efforts this year and does it "for fun." However, his costumed images quickly spread on social media.
The young man explained that before responding to a fire, he wets his costume to try to prevent it from being damaged by the flames and washes it after the work.
MINISTER DECLARED HIM "FOREST HERO"
After Rudiansyah's images were viewed millions of times, Indonesia's Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni also met with the young man. The minister thanked Rudiansyah for voluntarily participating in firefighting efforts and described him as a "forest hero."
The minister also announced that after learning Rudiansyah wants to become a forest police officer in the future, a scholarship opportunity could be provided for his education.
FIREFIGHTING CONTINUES ON BORNEO
Rudiansyah's striking images once again brought the magnitude of the fires on Borneo to the agenda. According to the Indonesian government, fires in the country from January to July affected more than 200,000 hectares of land.
While the drought caused by El Nino is noted to have increased the fires, the dense smoke in the region is also affecting parts of Borneo, including Indonesia as well as Malaysia and Brunei. The Indonesian administration is deploying additional personnel and aircraft to the region to combat the fires.