Jakarta landfill fire put out after more than a week

A landfill fire on the outskirts of Jakarta has been extinguished after burning for more than a week, Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency said Friday.

The Jatiwaringin landfill in Tangerang district, west of the capital, caught fire on June 30 and led the local government to declare a two-week emergency.

More than 230 people had evacuated the area, and all have now returned home, agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said. The local disaster mitigation agency reported 331 cases of acute respiratory syndrome, with no hospitalisations.

Abdul said the fire, which burned about 15 hectares, was completely extinguished by Thursday evening. Firefighters were still cooling the site and wetting the burned area.

The haze and helicopter water bombing did not disrupt operations at nearby Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Environment ministry official Rizal Irawan said last week that authorities would investigate the cause of the fire, local media reported. Indonesia's weather agency has warned that the dry season will be more intense and prolonged than average, partly because of El Nino, increasing wildfire and drought risks.