Indonesia wildfire fuelled by El Niño razes almost 300 homes

A forest fire on Indonesia's Sumatra island, intensified by the El Niño phenomenon, has razed nearly 300 homes, displacing hundreds of residents. Authorities describe the conditions as the most severe in a decade, with the blaze threatening to rival the record fires of 2015. The fire was first spotted on Saturday by villagers in Bangka Belitung province, who attempted to contain it using portable water pumps.

According to the head of South Bangka regency, Riza Herdavid, the fire continued to smolder beneath the peatland surface. Once the wind changed direction, it rapidly advanced toward the settlement. Almost 1,000 people have fled the village. "My house is gone. There's nothing left," said Leni, a 55-year-old evacuee. The housing complex had been constructed on peatland that was formerly a protected area.

The resulting haze has caused tens of thousands of respiratory cases and degraded air quality in neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia. Analysts indicate that the burned area and emissions are on course to match the 2015 blazes, which consumed 2.6 million hectares and released 333 megatonnes of carbon. Wildlife has been severely affected: eight orangutans were relocated to the Batu Nyambu protected forest, and at least 46 have been rescued since August. The International Union for Conservation of Nature warned that fires have impacted habitats containing 52% of Borneo's orangutan population, and survivors will face shortages of food and water.

Sources: theguardian.com