September 8, 2026 | 10:58 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Various posts claiming that Malaysia helped extinguish forest fires in Indonesia's Sumatra island using a CL-415MP aircraft have been circulating on social media since August 25, 2026. These posts were shared by, among others, Account 1 [archive] and Account 2 on Instagram; Account 3 and Account 4 on Facebook; and Account 5 and Account 6 on TikTok.
This narrative spread amidst forest and land fires in Sumatra in late August 2026. It was claimed that Malaysia deployed a CL-415MP aircraft belonging to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, which has a water capacity of 6,137 liters. The posts asserted that the firefighting operation took only seven minutes from takeoff to the water drop on the fire.
Did Malaysia actually deploy a CL-415MP aircraft to extinguish forest fires in Sumatra in August 2026?
FACT CHECK
Tempo verified the content using a reverse image search and confirmation from credible sources. The findings indicate that the Malaysian aircraft did indeed assist in extinguishing forest and land fires in Indonesia, but the event took place in 2015.
Content Verification
The circulating video clip is identical to a video uploaded by the YouTube account Air Times News Network on October 16, 2015, titled "Operasi Memadam Kebakaran di Palembang oleh APMM" (Firefighting Operation in Palembang by APMM). National media outlets such as Tribunnews and Berita Satu also reported on the deployment of firefighting aircraft to combat forest and land fires in Palembang.
Likewise, the photos circulating are also identical to the photos of the plane uploaded by the official account of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.
The Malaysian government, via the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency's (APMM) Facebook account, clarified that it did not deploy Bombardier CL-415MP aircraft to Indonesia in August 2026. Its air fleet is currently focused on monitoring the safety of Malaysian waters. The APMM confirmed that the circulating footage is from a past relief operation in Sumatra in 2015.
Malaysia's Involvement in the 2015 Forest Fires
On October 15, 2015, the Malaysian news site Astroawani.com reported that a Bombardier CL-415 aircraft belonging to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM) logged 21 flight hours and dropped 546,000 liters of water over a 60-square-nautical-mile fire zone in South Sumatra during a five-day deployment.
APMM Deputy Director-General of Operations, Maritime Vice Admiral Datuk Che Hassan Jusoh, stated at the time that the aircraft performed 15 to 20 water-dropping runs daily. Water was sourced from the Lumpur River, located 70 miles southeast of Palembang, despite limited visibility.
"Each cycle—from water pickup to release—took only seven minutes, and the Bombardier aircraft carried out firefighting operations in the area smoothly and effectively," he said.
On August 26, 2026, the Instagram account @buschoo also shared a similar photo. "An APMM Bombardier CL-415MP amphibious aircraft was deployed to assist in extinguishing forest fires in South Sumatra, Indonesia, in October 2015. The aircraft, bearing registration number M71-02, utilized a 'water scooping' method, drawing water directly from the Lumpur River," the post read.
2026 Sumatra Forest Fires
The island of Sumatra has once again been struck by forest and land fires caused by a prolonged dry season triggered by the 2026 El Nino. Data from Pantau Gambut indicates that thousands of hotspots have been detected since the beginning of the year, with the majority located in concession areas. Riau Province recorded the highest number of hotspots at 8,930, followed by Aceh (1,975), Jambi (359), and South Sumatra (164). A total of 7,526 hotspots were situated within concession areas, comprising 6,192 points in Hak Guna Usaha (Right to Cultivate) areas and 1,334 points in areas covered by Perizinan Berusaha Pemanfaatan Hutan (Business Licenses for Forest Utilization). Between January and March 2026, 23,546 hotspots were recorded within national Peat Hydrological Units: 15,424 in peat ecosystem protection zones and 8,122 in cultivation areas. These data indicate that forest and land fires represent a structural issue regarding peat ecosystem protection.
CONCLUSION
Tempo’s verification concludes that the claim—supported by videos and photos—that a Malaysian CL-415MP aircraft helped extinguish forest and land fires in Sumatra in August 2026 is misleading.
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