Six Provinces at the Center of the Crisis
Firefighting crews are concentrating their efforts on six provinces known for their large stretches of peatland, terrain that becomes especially fire-prone during the dry months. These include Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and Riau.
For residents in Central Kalimantan, the fires have been a daily struggle for weeks now. One local, an indigenous Dayak man named Darwin Romy who lives in Palangka Raya, the province's largest city, described how thick the smoke has gotten. Stepping outside now means stinging eyes and a strong, unmistakable burning smell, he said. He also mentioned that flames have crept dangerously close to homes, and to make matters worse, the water supply needed to fight the fires is starting to run low.
Over in West Kalimantan, the city of Pontianak has moved classes online for as long as the fires keep burning. The city's mayor, Edi Rusdi Kamtono, said the haze has become especially noticeable during the early mornings and at night, with smoke now hanging visibly over the city.
Fire at Mount Bromo and Spreading Haze in Malaysia
Beyond the six main provinces, a separate fire burned for almost a week at Mount Bromo National Park in East Java. By the time it was finally extinguished on Monday, roughly 550 hectares of the park had been destroyed. Officials have since warned that new hotspots may be forming near the volcano's caldera. Mount Bromo, an active volcano and popular tourist draw, has remained closed to visitors since August 8.
Investigators are still trying to pin down exactly what sparked the fire, though early signs point to human carelessness. According to Gatot Soebroto, who heads the local disaster mitigation agency, someone had lit a fire and attempted to put it out, but it wasn't fully extinguished and eventually reignited.
The smoke hasn't stayed within Indonesia's borders. In Malaysia, the town of Serian in Sarawak recorded the state's worst Air Pollutant Index reading this week, hitting 195 on Wednesday morning. For context, anything between 101 and 200 counts as unhealthy, 201 to 300 is considered very unhealthy, and readings above 301 are classified as hazardous. As of Wednesday, at least nine areas across Sarawak were already reporting unhealthy air quality levels.
