[REVISION HISTORY]

Indonesia wildfire crisis expands through September 2026

Updated 24 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-09 04:42 UTC → 2026-09-12 03:41 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Following extreme weather and El Niño in August 2026, fire incidents across Indonesia intensified into September. While early August saw urban fires in Jakarta and Bali, the crisis has expanded into massive forest and land fires (karhutla) across Sumatra, Borneo, and East Java. By early September, fires burned over 73,000 hectares, producing thick haze affecting neighboring countries. In East Java, the Ijen Crater Nature Tourism Park remains closed due to fires near the Pondok Bunder hiking trail. Authorities have deployed 53 aircraft for water bombing and cloud seeding to protect the future capital, Nusantara, where approximately 400 hectares have been affected. As of September 7, emergency responses have intensified in Kalimantan. In South Kalimantan, police are utilizing thermal drones and surfactant injections to cool peatlands near Syamsudin Noor International Airport, where underground temperatures have exceeded 400 degrees Celsius. In West Kalimantan, cooling operations are focused on Ketapang, Kubu Raya, and Kayong Utara. In Riau, PTPN IV Regional III has deployed 660 personnel using the Arfina digital application to detect hotspots. Suppression efforts face growing logistical hurdles. In Kubu Raya, firefighting has persisted for 63 days, but officials report that wind, difficult access, and severe water shortages have limited full extinguishment to only 10 to 20 percent of burned ~~areas,~~ areas. In West Java, the surge in incidents is particularly evident in ~~remote peatlands. Law enforcement continues~~ Garut, where land fires rose by over 1,000 percent compared to ~~target illegal~~ 2025, and Karawang, where land ~~clearing;~~ and grass fires accounted for nearly 40 percent of reported cases. In Riau, 273 hectares have burned in ~~Indragiri Hilir, nine additional suspects were identified~~ Siak Regency. The Ministry of Forestry is preparing for a dry season predicted to last into early 2027 through weather modification and monitoring. Amidst the destruction, the Natural Resources Conservation Agency has rescued 24 wild animals in ~~connection with burning practices.~~ West Kalimantan, including 15 orangutans, pangolins, and a proboscis monkey, to protect species from habitat degradation.

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