Four killed as Indonesia battles worst forest fires in more than a decade

Four people tackling a wildfire in a national park on Indonesia’s island of Java have been killed, the Forestry Ministry said, as the country battles its worst forest fires in more than a decade.

The victims were caught in the flames on Thursday in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java, the ministry said on Friday.

Two others suffered serious burns and are receiving medical treatment. The forest fires have extended beyond Indonesia’s borders, blanketing neighbouring countries in haze, Reuters reported.

The ministry did not identify the victims. In a statement, it expressed “deep condolences” and paid tribute to the “courage and dedication” of the officers, volunteers and residents working on the fire lines.

The deaths, it said, were “a reminder that extinguishing forest and land fires is a high-risk operation”, adding that safety “must be the main concern”, including tracking how the fire is spreading and the wind direction, keeping evacuation routes ready and assessing conditions before and during operations.

The islands of Sumatra and Borneo, close to Singapore and Malaysia, are the worst affected.

Hotspots increase

The ministry said satellite monitoring detected 799 high-confidence hotspots nationwide as of Thursday night, up 427 from the day before. The ministry cautioned that hotspots are not the same as fires, as one blaze can register as several.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has approved accepting help from neighbouring countries, Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir said, according to Reuters.

Malaysia offered last month to send three helicopters, an aircraft and 52 personnel, but there has been no follow-up, Reuters reported. Singapore has also said it is ready to help.

Indonesia has faced heavy criticism over the fires, which have caused respiratory problems for hundreds of thousands of people and forced school closures in Malaysia and East Timor, according to Reuters.