Firefighter in 'Superman' costume becomes famous in Indonesia

In Indonesia's Borneo island, 17-year-old Rudiyansah has become a social media sensation for fighting forest and land fires while wearing a 'Superman' costume. His efforts in battling the blazes have been viewed millions of times, as reported by The Washington Post and AFP.

Rudiyansah lives near the city of Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan province. He joined a volunteer firefighting group organized by his father, Mulyadi, and has been helping to extinguish fires after school since 2023.

This year, the teenager decided to face the fires dressed as his favorite hero, 'Superman.' Videos of him battling flames and smoke with a fire hose have gone viral on social media. Rudiyansah himself stated that he wears the costume mainly for fun.

The teenager's courage also caught the attention of Indonesia's Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni. The minister called him a 'forest hero' and suggested that Rudiyansah could become a forest ranger in the future.

Rudiyansah said he is happy to be helping the local community. He dreams of becoming a forest ranger and has called on other volunteers and firefighters in Indonesia to continue the fight against fires.

According to his father, this year's fire season has been the most severe since the volunteer group was formed in 2020. Due to a prolonged drought, wells and other water sources used to extinguish fires have dried up.

The situation regarding fires in Indonesia has also become critical. According to government data, between January and July 2026, fires covered more than 200,000 hectares of land. This area is nearly three times the size of Jakarta. The smoke produced by the fires has spread across the parts of Borneo divided between Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.