Indonesian Wildfires Have Burned About 1.9 Million Hectares in 2026, and Haze Has Spread Across the Region

Wildfires in Indonesia have burned about 1.9 million hectares of land since the start of 2026, according to the open-access satellite platform Nusantara Atlas, and the smoke has drifted into neighbouring countries. A hectare is a unit of area. The BBC reported this figure on 20 October 2026, and it noted that about one million hectares are thought to have burned in September 2025 alone.

The fires are also taking a toll on health. As of mid-October, Indonesia's Health Ministry had recorded more than 277,000 cases of chronic cough and acute respiratory infections, illnesses affecting the breathing passages, linked to the haze. More than 62,000 of those cases were infants and toddlers under five years old.

The smoke has crossed borders. Haze from the Indonesian fires drifted as far as Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. Reuters reported in mid-October that pollution levels in Singapore spiked and that East Timor shut schools because of the haze. On 18 October, France 24 reported that parts of southern Southeast Asia had been placed under the highest-level haze alert as the fires continued.

Inside Indonesia, the effects are concentrated on Borneo and Sumatra, the two large islands where most of the fumes originate, according to Reuters. That fumes come from fires in forest and peatland, a waterlogged soil that can burn for long periods. In Palangkaraya, the capital of Central Kalimantan on Borneo, Riduan, head of the city's Health Office, said the haze had turned the sky yellow and hazy. Official advice for residents during the haze is to stay indoors and avoid going outside.

Indonesia's disaster agency, BNPB, reported that forest and land fires in Central Kalimantan from 1 January to 19 September 2026 recorded more than 142,000 hotspots, which are heat signals detected by satellite that can indicate fires, and about 3,800 incidents.

Reuters reported on 14 October that Indonesia was battling its most intense wildfire season in 11 years, fuelled by dry weather linked to El Niño, a recurring climate pattern. The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre, the weather forecasting body of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, has predicted above-normal temperatures over most of the region for October and for October to December 2026, with below-normal rainfall expected under El Niño conditions.