Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

Indonesia forest fire threat rises

Fires had spread in fields and forests in Aceh and Indonesian authorities warn of more to come as the dry season peaks in coming months.

Indonesia's disaster agency has warned of an increasing threat of forest fires as the dry season peaks in coming months, while hot spots detected in the province of Aceh have already been causing choking smoke.

Fires had spread to more than 60ha of fields and forests in Aceh, Sumatra, and some residents had been taken to hospital due to breathing problems due to the haze.

"The peak of the dry season is predicted to be in August and September so the threat of forest and field fires, and drought will escalate," BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

The fires in Aceh started on Tuesday last week and authorities are still trying to put them out in some areas.

Meanwhile, a satellite image showed 170 hot spots across Indonesia as of Monday night.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Indonesia is regularly hit by forest fires, which can result in choking smoke blowing across to neighbouring countries such as Singapore and Malaysia.


1 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world