Indonesia wildfire driven by El Niño destroys hundreds of homes

A massive wildfire intensified by dry conditions linked to the El Niño weather pattern has destroyed close to 300 houses in western Indonesia, prompting nearly 1,000 residents to evacuate.

The blaze swept through a community in Bangka Belitung province over the weekend. According to South Bangka regent Riza Herdavid, local villagers initially attempted to extinguish the encroaching flames using portable water equipment. However, because the area consists of peatland, the fire continued to burn beneath the surface. A sudden change in wind direction subsequently propelled the flames directly into the residential area, leaving little time for families to gather their belongings.

The affected settlement was established on former protected peatland that was converted for housing just last year, according to local officials. Regional disaster management authorities confirmed that hundreds of displaced residents have been accommodated in emergency shelters.

The incident is part of a broader environmental crisis affecting Indonesia, where widespread fires have produced dense haze across the archipelago and into neighbouring countries, including Malaysia and Singapore. The smoke has triggered tens of thousands of respiratory cases, while flight operations for firefighting aircraft in parts of Borneo have been grounded due to extremely poor visibility.

Indonesian authorities have described the current fire conditions as the country's most severe in ten years. Analysts warn that total land burned and resulting emissions could approach levels seen during the catastrophic 2015 season, which consumed 2.6 million hectares. President Prabowo Subianto has directed state agencies to use maximum resources to contain the fires, which have persisted for months in certain regions. More than 60,000 personnel have been deployed to combat the blazes, according to the government.

The crisis is also causing severe disruption to native wildlife across Indonesia. Rescue organisations have been forced to evacuate dozens of critically endangered orangutans from burning forests, including eight animals recently moved to safe zones in West Kalimantan. Conservation groups report that fires have damaged habitats supporting more than half of Borneo's orangutan population, while other species, including monkeys, elephants, gibbons, and pangolins, are facing widespread habitat loss and starvation.

Weather forecasters anticipate that dry conditions could persist through November, when the influence of El Niño is expected to reach its peak.