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Rudiyansah, a high school student from Palangkaraya in Indonesia’s Central Kalimantan, has been assisting a local volunteer firefighting group founded by his father since 2023
Rudiyansah decided to wear his red-and-blue Superman costume “just for fun” to uplift spirits. (BBC/Instagram)
Rudiyansah is an Indonesian teenager who went viral in August 2026 for fighting devastating wildfires on Borneo island while dressed in a Superman costume.
The young volunteer firefighter has captured global media attention, including coverage across major news networks.
WHO IS THE ‘FOREST HERO’?
The 15-to-17-year-old high school student from Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, has been assisting a local volunteer firefighting group founded by his father since 2023.
He decided to wear his red-and-blue Superman costume “just for fun” to uplift spirits. He wets the outfit slightly before heading into the smoke to keep it from catching fire, say reports.
When asked why he spends his free time combating intense peatland blazeshe stated he would rather protect his community than stay home playing on his phone.
His efforts went viral against the backdrop of Indonesia’s severe wildfire and haze crisis, earning him the nickname “forest hero” from the country’s forestry minister, say reports.
THE COMMUNITY
The community is located in Petuk Katimpun, Central Kalimantan Province, Borneo Island, Indonesia.
This specific region is deeply impacted by severe environmental and health challenges during the dry season:
The Peatlands: The area surrounding his home is largely comprised of parched peatlands. These carbon-rich soils are highly flammable, causing wildfires to smolder deep underground and making them incredibly difficult to fully extinguish.
The Toxic Haze: The resulting fires produce a dense, blanketing smog (known locally as the Southeast Asian haze) that triggers dangerous air pollution. Rudiyansah has stated that he remembers the devastating smoke crises from his childhood and wants to prevent his community from having to experience those terrible conditions again.
INDONESIA WILDFIRE CRISIS
Indonesia is facing a severe wildfire and transboundary haze crisis, primarily concentrated across the fire-prone peatlands of Sumatra and Borneo (Kalimantan) islands. Driven by an intensifying “super-El Niño” cycle and a prolonged dry season, the scale of the fires has eclipsed previous drought years, scorching hundreds of thousands of hectares of land.
The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) has triggered its highest Level 3 transboundary haze alert, as thick, toxic smoke drifts across borders into Malaysia and Singapore, sparking a regional public health and environmental emergency.
The Indonesian Health Ministry estimates that over 3.4 million people are directly at risk of acute respiratory infections (ISPA) due to prolonged exposure to thick smoke and ash.
About the Author
At the news desk for 20 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing speci…Read More
August 31, 2026, 1:34 PM IST
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