The blazes have sent hazardous smoke thousands of kilometres across the region into neighbouring countries, including Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.
In Indonesia, some cities have been blanketed in haze for months, with air quality reaching unhealthy and at times hazardous levels, prompting school closures and warnings for people to limit outdoor activities.
But while most people can retreat indoors to escape the smoke, those fighting the fires must advance towards it – sometimes with deadly consequences.
At least four firefighters have died on the job this year. The latest was a 30-year-old volunteer firefighter in Central Kalimantan, who died on Sep 10 after being hospitalised for three days with a respiratory illness.
“It’s a risky profession,” another firefighter, Zulkarnain, 41, who, like many Indonesians, goes by one name, told CNA.
“Every day, we are dealing with intense heat and suffocating smoke.”
Those risks have been compounded this year by an exceptionally powerful El Nino, dubbed “Godzilla”, which has brought extreme heat and prolonged drought to many parts of Indonesia, making fires easier to ignite and harder to contain.
Read the full article here
