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Environment & Climate

Indonesia's wildfires have torched about 1.9 million hectares this year

BBC News reports more than 277,000 respiratory cases as a Super El Nino delays the rain needed to fight Indonesia's fires.

Updated Oct 21, 2026 · 00:13 UTC1 reports

The short version

  • BBC News reports wildfires have torched about 1.9 million hectares across Indonesia since the start of the year.[BBC News]
  • Indonesia's Health Ministry recorded more than 277,000 respiratory and cough cases by mid-October, including over 62,000 children under five.[BBC News]
  • The government says it deployed more than 60,000 personnel and claims an 80% success rate in extinguishing new fires.[BBC News]
  • A Super El Nino has amplified drought and delayed rainfall critical to extinguishing peat fires, and Dr Novita says fires are spreading into areas with no prior fire history.[BBC News]

Key facts

  • Wildfires have torched about 1.9 million hectares across Indonesia since the start of the year, according to the Nusantara Atlas satellite platform.[BBC News]
  • About one million hectares are thought to have burned in September alone.[BBC News]
  • As of mid-October, Indonesia's Health Ministry recorded more than 277,000 cases of chronic coughs and acute respiratory infections.[BBC News]
  • More than 62,000 of the recorded cases were infants and toddlers under the age of five.[BBC News]
  • The Indonesian government said it deployed more than 60,000 personnel for land operations and claimed an 80% success rate in extinguishing new fires.[BBC News]
  • A Super El Nino has amplified drought conditions and delayed rainfall that is critical to extinguishing peat fires.[BBC News]
  • Dr Novita said her team has observed fires spreading into areas with no prior history of fire.[BBC News]

What remains uncertain

  • The 80% firefighting success rate is the government's own claim and is not independently verified in the reporting.[BBC News]
  • The September figure of about one million hectares is an estimate, described as thought to have burned.[BBC News]
  • The extent of fires in areas with no prior fire history is not quantified; the observation comes from Dr Novita's team.[BBC News]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.