World · East Asia & Pacific · 13 hrs ago
Wildfire haze traps families indoors in Indonesian city
In Palangkaraya, a city on Indonesia’s island of Borneo, months of nearby wildfires have filled the air with smoke.
Apri Dona Yusmelita has kept her two young children mostly in one bedroom, where an air purifier helps, and her five-month-old son has been sick for much of his life.
The haze worsens breathing problems, and the children’s symptoms flared when they went outside to play.
Indonesia has lost close to 2 million hectares of forest and peatland to fires this year, amid unusually dry conditions linked to El Niño.
Many fires are deliberately set to clear land for crops, including palm oil.
Authorities have struggled to manage the crisis, so local volunteers monitor air pollution and provide safer rooms.
The Ranu Welum Foundation has helped establish 14 haze shelters with air purifiers, oxygen tanks and breathing-treatment machines for children, older people and others on especially severe days.
Wildfires surrounding Palangkaraya have blanketed the Indonesian city in thick haze, forcing families to spend long periods indoors.
Apri Dona Yusmelita says her five-month-old son has been sick for most of his life and needs nebuliser treatment.
Yusmelita’s family has spent roughly half its time over the past four months in one bedroom with an air purifier.
The fires began in July, and close to 2 million hectares of forest and peatland have burned in Indonesia this year.
A local Indigenous organisation has helped establish 14 shelters equipped to provide cleaner air.
- Who
- Residents of Palangkaraya, including families with young children, are affected. Local volunteers and the Ranu Welum Foundation are helping.
- What
- Wildfire smoke has forced families to shelter indoors and has been linked to respiratory symptoms.
- When
- The fires started in July; the article was published on November 9, 2026.
- Where
- Palangkaraya, in Central Kalimantan on the Indonesian island of Borneo.
- Why
- Fires have burned surrounding forests and peatland. The article says many blazes were intentionally started to clear land for crops, and drier-than-usual conditions worsened the fire season.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Wildfires began in the area, according to Yusmelita.
Yusmelita’s family spent roughly half its time in one bedroom to avoid the smoke.
The Ranu Welum Foundation had established 14 haze shelters.
- City
- Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan
- Population
- About 300,000 residents
- Fires began
- July
- Burned area
- Close to 2 million hectares of forest and peatland in Indonesia this year
- Haze shelters
- 14 established by the Ranu Welum Foundation
1 source
What people are saying
I can’t bear it
They come just to breathe