Evaluation of the Extinguishing Efficiency of Eco-Friendly Soap-Based Media Against Prolonged Simulated Peat Fires

Peat fires cause large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, posing significant environmental challenges related to smoke pollution, health hazards, and ecological impacts. Water alone is inefficient for extinguishing peat fires as it struggles to penetrate the soil. Therefore, firefighting agents with high penetration capabilities are added to improve effectiveness. Experiments were conducted in Palangka Raya, Indonesia, to evaluate an environmentally friendly soap-based firefighting agent against peat fires. A 1.5 m × 1.5 m peat area was burned for 24 h to simulate a peat fire, and either groundwater or a 1 vol.% soap-based firefighting agent solution was used for firefighting. Under the former measure, the water required to extinguish the fire was 16.0 and 23.9 L/m2, while under the latter it was reduced to 3.8 and 7.4 L/m2 with the soap-based solution. The time to extinguish the fire was also reduced to approximately one-third under the application of the soap-based solution compared to that required when using water alone. The soap-based firefighting agent proved more effective against peat fires in Indonesia than water alone, reducing both the amount of spray and the time required for spraying. This agent is expected to assist in efficiently managing peat fires, which have become more severe in recent years.