Indonesia is rushing to extinguish wildfires that have burned over 668,750 rai, with haze covering many areas including Malaysia, while schools in some provinces have had to suspend classes continuously.
On 13 Aug 2026 GMT+7, Indonesia intensified efforts to manage wildfires spreading across several areas after fires had consumed more than 668,750 rai nationwide from January through June 2026. Authorities mobilized personnel and aircraft to fight the fires, including cloud seeding operations to increase rainfall chances in affected regions.
Indonesian officials revealed that efforts focus on six severely affected provinces: Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan. These provinces have large peatland forests with high wildfire risk during the dry season. The government has deployed approximately 43 helicopters and 15 planes to participate in firefighting and cloud seeding missions.
The wildfire situation has worsened due to an unusually long dry season and summer, influenced by a stronger El Niño phenomenon. This has caused forests and land to dry out, making them more prone to fires. Officials noted that most wildfires result from human activities, especially burning peatlands and clearing land for agriculture and industry.
Besides the six heavily affected provinces, wildfires also occurred at Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java province. The fires burned for nearly a week, consuming about 550 hectares, or roughly 3,438 rai, before officials managed to control the blaze last Monday.
Meanwhile, haze from Indonesian wildfires has drifted over parts of Malaysia, particularly Sarawak state, causing air quality in some areas to reach unhealthy levels. Some schools have been ordered to close to protect public health, highlighting that the wildfire crisis is causing cross-border impacts in the Southeast Asia region.