Since the beginning of this year, nearly 60 hectares of land have been affected by fires across Riau Province in Indonesia, with over 200 hotspots reported.
Edi, the head of the Riau Province Disaster Mitigation Agency and Fire Department, said that 13 large-scale fires occurred in six regencies last week, including in the provincial capital, Pekanbaru.
He stated: "All the fires have been extinguished, and cooling operations are currently underway."
He pointed out that since January, fires have occurred in 10 out of the 12 regencies and cities in Riau Province, with Bengkalis Regency and Pekanbaru City being the most severe.
According to the latest data from the Pekanbaru Station of Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), as of 7 a.m. on the 4th, 113 hotspots had been detected locally.
As the rainy season comes to an end, the risk of peatland and forest fires is increasing. Relevant authorities are actively coordinating prevention and response efforts to guard against potential large-scale forest fires.
Edi said that Riau Province has not yet issued a forest fire emergency alert, and response efforts are still being handled by the local government.
Forest fires in Indonesia are often caused by some companies and farmers setting fire to clear land for new crops. Last week, Riau Province police arrested four individuals suspected of starting such fires.