{
  "id": 5568629,
  "title": "Indonesia deploys 14,000 firefighters as wildfires fuel hazardous haze",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/indonesia-deploys-14-000-firefighters-as-wildfires-fuel-hazardous-haze",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-04T13:48:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/world/region/2026/09/1525877/indonesia-deploys-14000-firefighters-wildfires-fuel-hazardous-haze"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Indonesia has deployed 14,000 firefighters to combat wildfires that have sent air quality to hazardous levels in parts of Borneo, according to authorities. The Southeast Asian archipelago has been struggling to contain the blazes and the thick smog they have generated, which has drifted to neighboring Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. In West Kalimantan province, one of the most affected regions, haze has plunged air quality to hazardous levels, with visibility falling below one kilometer on Thursday, Berton Suar Pelita Panjaitan, a spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, reported. More than 14,000 firefighters have been mobilized in the province, successfully putting out fires across nearly 430 hectares on Thursday. West Kalimantan's situation is particularly concerning due to the presence of burned peatlands, which require extensive handling and monitoring to prevent fires from reoccurring. In Central Kalimantan province, authorities managed to extinguish fires in a 197-hectare area, and a thermal drone was deployed to locate underground fire spots. The province recorded an unhealthy air quality level, with visibility dropping below 2.5 kilometers. Schools in both provinces have been closed, with classes switched to online formats. Indonesia is home to extensive tropical peatlands, an ecosystem composed of partially decomposed organic materials. While the peatlands are carbon-rich when wet, they become highly flammable when dry, and fires can smolder underground, re-emerging rapidly. In Malaysia, soaring air pollution prompted the government to declare an emergency in Sarawak, where 647 schools were closed from Monday until at least the end of next week. The decision followed the Sarawak disaster management committee formally requesting the declaration when the Air Pollutant Index in Serian exceeded the critical threshold of 500, peaking at 519 earlier on Friday.",
  "summary": "JAKARTA: Haze from wildfires has sent air quality to hazardous levels in parts of Borneo, Indonesian authorities said on Friday, as thousands were deployed to tackle the blazes.",
  "key_points": [
    "Indonesia deploys 14,000 firefighters to battle wildfires in Borneo.",
    "Haze from fires drifts to Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines.",
    "Schools in affected provinces close due to hazardous air quality."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Euronews",
        "title": "Malaysia declares air quality emergency as haze linked to Indonesia fires reaches critical level",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/malaysia-declares-air-quality-emergency-as-haze-linked-to-indonesia",
        "published": "2026-09-04T11:02:32.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Mongabay",
        "title": "As Indonesia’s wildfires rage, haze spreads farther across Southeast Asia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/as-indonesias-wildfires-rage-haze-spreads-farther-across-southeast",
        "published": "2026-09-04T12:26:28.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}