Disasters & Incidents
Indonesia wildfires close schools as haze reaches Malaysia
Indonesia wildfires closed dozens of schools in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, for a second day on Tuesday, August 11, as haze from the fires also affected Malaysia.
Pontianak Mayor Edi Rusdi Kamtono ordered children to learn from home for as long as air quality remains poor. He said haze had blanketed the city, especially at night and in the morning. The number of affected schools was not stated, but public records show the city has tens of thousands of public school pupils.
In Malaysia, the air pollution index in Serian, Sarawak, reached an "unhealthy" level of 190 on Tuesday. Malaysia's Meteorological Department urged residents to stay indoors, and director-general Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip attributed the conditions to a cross-border haze phenomenon from Kalimantan.
On Java, firefighters battled flames for a ninth day at Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, where a wildfire has scorched 900 hectares, or about two percent of the park's total area. The major tourist attraction has been closed to visitors since Saturday.
Local disaster official Satriyo Nurseno said three water-bombing helicopters and fire trucks were supporting about 200 firefighters, forest rangers, police and soldiers at the park. He said crews hoped to put out the fire and soak the area to stop it reigniting.
Indonesia's disaster agency, BNPB, said more than 48,000 personnel had been deployed to fight fires in six provinces. Security Minister Djamari Chaniago said Indonesia had deployed 43 helicopters and up to 15 fixed-wing planes for cloud seeding where needed.
The BMKG weather agency has forecast an unusually tough dry season this year, with a high risk of drought and wildfires partly because of El Nino. More than 107,000 hectares have burned across Indonesia so far this year, double the area burned in 2023. Authorities said food stocks remained adequate.
Update
Haze from the Indonesia wildfires also affected Malaysia.
Malaysia's air pollution index in Serian, Sarawak, reached an unhealthy level of 190 on Tuesday.
Malaysia's Meteorological Department urged locals to stay indoors and attributed the haze to a cross-border phenomenon from Kalimantan.
Public records show Pontianak has tens of thousands of public school pupils.
Source note: AFP news report published on 11 August 2026 at 07:53:05 UTC.
Update
Dozens of schools in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, were closed for a second day because of wildfire haze.
The Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park fire had burned nearly 900 hectares by Tuesday morning.
The Bromo fire was in its ninth day, and about 200 firefighters, forest rangers, police and soldiers were involved at the site.
More than 48,000 personnel have been deployed to fight fires in six Indonesian provinces, according to the disaster agency.
Indonesia has deployed 43 helicopters and up to 15 fixed-wing planes for cloud seeding where needed, according to Security Minister Djamari Chaniago.
Source note: AFP news report published on 11 August 2026 at 04:58:50 UTC.
Update
The wildfire had burned for an eighth day by Monday.
More than 500 hectares had been lost, according to an official.
An East Java disaster official said the fire had spread toward residential areas in the Dingklik Valley area.
Officials were using two water-bombing helicopters, fire trucks and sprinkler drones.
Indonesia's forestry minister said cloud-seeding missions would not be possible over the Bromo area for several days because of a lack of clouds.
Source note: AFP news report published on 10 August 2026 at 07:32:50 UTC.
Update
The burned area has risen from at least 127 hectares to 176 hectares.
Authorities barred visitor access late Saturday until further notice.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said no injuries or property destruction had been reported.
Abdul Muhari said two water-bombing helicopters were being used because steep slopes and strong winds limited ground access.
Source note: AFP news report published on 9 August 2026 at 06:18:01 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The number of schools affected by the Pontianak closure was not stated.
Cloud seeding depends on clouds being present.
Source
AFP news report published on .