Politics · Indonesia · 5 hrs ago
Indonesia says 639 hectares remain ablaze as hotspots rise
Indonesia’s disaster agency says 639.23 hectares remain on fire across six provinces targeted for firefighting.
President Prabowo Subianto said he had expected a much larger area to still be burning.
The fires affect parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan, where smoke has caused haze.
The government says it can manage the fires and has no immediate plan to declare a national disaster.
Meanwhile, satellite-detected hotspots across Sumatra rose to 3,663 on Tuesday morning, up from 2,440 on Monday afternoon.
South Sumatra recorded the most hotspots, at 2,559.
Haze in Riau reached unhealthy pollution levels, and weather modification and other firefighting efforts are continuing.
Indonesia’s disaster agency reported that 639.23 hectares of land were still burning as of a coordination meeting on October 12.
The fires were being tackled in six priority provinces: Central Kalimantan, South Sumatra, South Kalimantan, Jambi, West Kalimantan and Riau.
Hotspots detected across Sumatra rose to 3,663 by the morning of October 13, up from 2,440 on Monday afternoon.
The government said it had no immediate plan to declare the fires a national disaster.
The agency said smoke had raised concerns in other countries, while haze in Riau coincided with unhealthy air pollution readings.
- Who
- Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported the remaining fires. President Prabowo Subianto chaired the coordination meeting.
- What
- The agency said 639.23 hectares were still burning; hotspot counts across Sumatra also rose.
- When
- The coordination meeting took place on October 12, 2026. The hotspot count was updated on the morning of October 13.
- Where
- Six priority provinces: Central Kalimantan, South Sumatra, South Kalimantan, Jambi, West Kalimantan and Riau.
- Why
- Not stated
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Prabowo chaired an online coordination meeting on forest and land fires, where BNPB reported 639.23 hectares still burning.
BMKG Pekanbaru recorded 2,440 hotspots across Sumatra.
BMKG Pekanbaru’s updated count showed 3,663 hotspots across Sumatra.
- Burning land
- 639.23 hectares
- Priority provinces
- Central Kalimantan, South Sumatra, South Kalimantan, Jambi, West Kalimantan and Riau
- Sumatra hotspots, October 13
- 3,663
- Sumatra hotspots, Monday afternoon
- 2,440
- Highest hotspot count
- South Sumatra, 2,559
What people are saying
The area still burning and being handled by task forces in the field totals 639.23 hectares
I initially thought hundreds of thousands of hectares were still burning, or tens of thousands. It turns out the area has decreased considerably.
Not yet. We are still capable of handling it
Besides South Sumatra, a relatively high number of hotspots were also detected in Lampung, with 471, Jambi with 326, and the Bangka Belitung Islands with 287
Sources
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