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Indonesian firefighters overwhelmed as Riau inferno sends haze into Malaysia | Scoop
www.scoop.my
Updated 21 hours ago
20 July, 2025
12:50 PM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR – Indonesian firefighters are battling towering flames, some with little more than sticks as vast forest fires in Riau burn out of control — sending choking haze into Malaysian skies and raising alarm over the region’s readiness to tackle the crisis.
In the remote, hilly terrain of Rokan IV Koto in Rokan Hulu, emergency crews are reportedly struggling to contain blazes across 10 to 20 hectares of forest, forced to work without aerial support after the region’s water-bombing helicopter broke down, according to Kompas.
“Only areas we can reach are being extinguished. The fire has to be put out using wooden sticks,” said Sarjan Suwendi, a village development officer with the local military post, describing the extreme limitations faced by ground crews.
Strong winds, high temperatures and thick smoke are making matters worse, with responders unable to reach many fire fronts due to dangerous slopes and poor visibility. “We have requested for assistance, but no helicopters have arrived yet. The ground operation is extremely difficult,” Suwendi added.
The local Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) confirmed the aircraft is undergoing repairs. “It is still in the process of being fixed,” said agency chief Edy Afrizal.
According to Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Sumatra is now blanketed with 1,208 active hotspots — and Riau alone accounts for nearly half, with 586. Rokan Hilir remains the worst-hit area with 354 hotspots, followed by Rokan Hulu (142) and Pelalawan (20).
Other provinces including North Sumatra, Jambi, South Sumatra and Bangka Belitung are also recording dozens of fire zones, prompting growing concern over the scale of the disaster.
With minimal equipment and exhausted crews on the ground, the fires continue to expand — and the smoke is not staying within Indonesia.
Yesterday, the BMKG confirmed that haze has crossed into Malaysia, carried by dominant southeast-to-northeast wind patterns.
“Based on the haze dispersion map, the smoke is moving toward Malaysia, although we cannot specify in detail which areas in Malaysia are affected,” said forecaster Bibin S. from the BMKG Sultan Syarif Kasim II Station in Pekanbaru.
As of 9am today, four air quality monitoring stations in Malaysia — two in Selangor and two in Negeri Sembilan — recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings exceeding 100, according to the Department of Environment.
Nilai recorded the highest reading at 156, followed by Johan Setia (155), Port Dickson (153), and Banting (151). Putrajaya (99) and Petaling Jaya (88) also hovered near unhealthy levels.
With no end in sight to the fires and aerial firefighting still grounded, fears are mounting that the haze could intensify in the coming days — potentially affecting more areas in Malaysia as the wind continues to push smoke across the border. – July 20, 2025
www.scoop.my
Updated 21 hours ago
20 July, 2025
12:50 PM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR – Indonesian firefighters are battling towering flames, some with little more than sticks as vast forest fires in Riau burn out of control — sending choking haze into Malaysian skies and raising alarm over the region’s readiness to tackle the crisis.
In the remote, hilly terrain of Rokan IV Koto in Rokan Hulu, emergency crews are reportedly struggling to contain blazes across 10 to 20 hectares of forest, forced to work without aerial support after the region’s water-bombing helicopter broke down, according to Kompas.
“Only areas we can reach are being extinguished. The fire has to be put out using wooden sticks,” said Sarjan Suwendi, a village development officer with the local military post, describing the extreme limitations faced by ground crews.
Strong winds, high temperatures and thick smoke are making matters worse, with responders unable to reach many fire fronts due to dangerous slopes and poor visibility. “We have requested for assistance, but no helicopters have arrived yet. The ground operation is extremely difficult,” Suwendi added.
The local Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) confirmed the aircraft is undergoing repairs. “It is still in the process of being fixed,” said agency chief Edy Afrizal.
According to Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Sumatra is now blanketed with 1,208 active hotspots — and Riau alone accounts for nearly half, with 586. Rokan Hilir remains the worst-hit area with 354 hotspots, followed by Rokan Hulu (142) and Pelalawan (20).
Other provinces including North Sumatra, Jambi, South Sumatra and Bangka Belitung are also recording dozens of fire zones, prompting growing concern over the scale of the disaster.
With minimal equipment and exhausted crews on the ground, the fires continue to expand — and the smoke is not staying within Indonesia.
Yesterday, the BMKG confirmed that haze has crossed into Malaysia, carried by dominant southeast-to-northeast wind patterns.
“Based on the haze dispersion map, the smoke is moving toward Malaysia, although we cannot specify in detail which areas in Malaysia are affected,” said forecaster Bibin S. from the BMKG Sultan Syarif Kasim II Station in Pekanbaru.
As of 9am today, four air quality monitoring stations in Malaysia — two in Selangor and two in Negeri Sembilan — recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings exceeding 100, according to the Department of Environment.
Nilai recorded the highest reading at 156, followed by Johan Setia (155), Port Dickson (153), and Banting (151). Putrajaya (99) and Petaling Jaya (88) also hovered near unhealthy levels.
With no end in sight to the fires and aerial firefighting still grounded, fears are mounting that the haze could intensify in the coming days — potentially affecting more areas in Malaysia as the wind continues to push smoke across the border. – July 20, 2025
