Wildfires burn across Indonesia as officials cite El Nino as a cause
Summary
Large wildfires are burning across Indonesia due to a very dry season made worse by El Nino weather patterns. Nearly 50,000 firefighters and disaster workers are fighting the fires, which have damaged tens of thousands of hectares of land and forced closures of some tourist areas.Key Facts
- Close to 50,000 firefighters and disaster personnel are battling wildfires in different parts of Indonesia.
- El Nino, a climate pattern that causes drier weather, has increased the risk of fires during the dry season.
- The largest fire is in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java, burning 743 hectares and leading to the park’s closure.
- Fires have also been intense in Jambi province and on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.
- More than 107,000 hectares of land caught fire from January to June 2026, double the burned area in all of 2023.
- Weather officials warned the dry season this year will be longer and more intense, with August and September being especially risky for fires.
- Cloud-seeding efforts to create rain are not possible right now because there are no suitable clouds.
- Officials are relying on water bombing from helicopters and ground firefighting while asking the public to avoid actions that could start new fires.
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