Indonesia reports more than 80% success in daily forest-fire control efforts

President Prabowo Subianto led a meeting on forest and land fires in Indonesia on October 12.

About 639 hectares were still burning across six provinces, with current firefighting efforts focused on Central Kalimantan and South Sumatra.

The government says crews contain, on average, more than 80% of the land newly burned each day, with over 60,177 personnel involved in ground operations.

Smoke has reached neighboring Singapore and Malaysia.

Officials are also using water-bombing flights and weather modification, though thick smoke makes helicopter operations difficult.

The government has not declared the fires a national disaster, and officials said foreign firefighting assistance was not discussed at the meeting.

Prabowo called for stronger firefighting and prevention, while officials expect the rainy season to spread across the country from mid- to late October.