JAKARTA: Four people died on Indonesia’s Java island fighting the blazes that have sent toxic smoke across southeast Asia, closed schools and fuelled a surge of respiratory complaints, authorities said on Friday.
The four lost their lives in East Java’s Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park.
Two others suffered serious burns and were receiving further medical treatment.
“This incident serves as a reminder that forest and land fire extinguishing is a high-risk operation,” it said, adding that personnel safety remained a primary concern.
Singapore to take action against 7 Indonesian firms for ‘causing or contributing’ to haze
The impact of the months-long fires has also prompted Singapore’s leader to vow legal action against any companies responsible for the blazes that have made regional air quality among the world’s worst.
Singapore again topped IQAir’s live ranking of the world’s most polluted major cities on Friday, with Kuala Lumpur second and Jakarta eighth.
“Where warranted, we will take action under Singapore’s Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, and also explore joint action with other countries,” said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
Authorities said Singapore had put on notice seven Indonesian firms whose “activities caused or contributed to unhealthy haze levels”.
Legal experts have cautioned that pursuing companies linked to the smoke is challenging, with investigations reliant on cooperation from foreign authorities.
Singapore has no plantations or forests of its own, but several companies with concessions in Indonesia are reportedly based in the city state.
Hotspots
Indonesia’s forestry department said there was a significant jump in hotspots in several areas in six “priority provinces” where 615 hotspots were detected.
A hotspot is a location where a satellite detects an unusually high temperature, indicating a potential fire or other strong heat source.
Singapore’s investigations into four Indonesian companies over their alleged role in the 2015 haze crisis remain open, a case that strained relations with Jakarta at the time.
An official at Indonesia’s national police investigations agency on Wednesday said it was probing companies responsible for the fires, but did not give specific names.
Indonesia experiences wildfires regularly during its dry season, but this year the blazes have been especially severe because a strong El Nino has brought drought.
While drought contributes to the fires, experts say deforestation and drying of peatlands has damaged previously fire-resistant landscapes.
“We cannot control the weather or the winds, nor can we directly control what happens beyond our borders,” said Singapore leader Wong.
“But we will do everything we can to protect Singaporeans, while working with our neighbours to address the underlying causes of the haze.”
Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2026
