Indonesia races to contain fires as haze spreads
After publishing: 2 headlines quietly rewritten, 1 description edited3 changes
- winnipegfreepress.comseen 27 Aug, 04:44headline rewritten
Muslims gather for rain prayers in Indonesia's wildfire-hit South SumatraIndonesians brave choking smoke to pray for rain as country battles wildfires - Anadolu Agency (AA)seen 4 Sept, 01:24description edited
what the description said, before and after
- No injuries reported in 168 fire incidents, according to authoritiesNo injuries reported in 168 fire incidents, according to authorities
- NYT Worldseen 4 Sept, 21:43headline rewritten
Haze From Indonesian Wildfires Blankets Parts of Malaysia, PhilippinesHaze From Indonesian Wildfires Blankets Parts of Malaysia and Philippines
What it is about
Who published it, and when
+ 6 more outlets · 32 reports left out of the cascade - too little in common with the story to place
How it spread - 82 original reports, 5 reprints
Tue, 11 August 2026
4 reports- Japan Times04:41first to report
Indonesia is facing a longer and more severe dry season this year as El Nino intensifies, raising the risk of drought, forest fires and air pollution.
- Al Jazeera English08:08
Cloud-seeding aircraft have been deployed as dozens of schools remain closed due to poor air quality.
- Index.hr (Croatia)08:21
INDONEZIJA koristi zasijavanje oblaka kako bi suzbila šumske požare i onečišćenje zraka uzrokovano ekstremnom sušom i fenomenom El Nino.
- tportal (Croatia)08:34Požari gutaju šest indonezijskih pokrajina: Vlasti poduzimaju očajničke mjere ne bi li izazvale kišu
Indonezija nastoji prioritetno obuzdati požare u šest pokrajina te koristi zrakoplove za zasijavanje oblaka ne bi li potaknula kišu dok vlasti pokušavaju usporiti onečišćen zrak koji se širi regijom, rekli su dužnosnici
Sun, 16 August 2026
1 report- Libération (France)10:01
Dans un contexte de crise climatique, sécheresse et vagues de chaleur créent des conditions propices à des incendies toujours plus difficiles à contenir. Depuis plusieurs semaines, des brasiers incontrôlables se multiplient un peu partout sur la planète.
Tue, 18 August 2026
4 reports- Channel News Asia04:55
Cloud seeding is rarely used to tackle wildfires globally, but Indonesia believes it can help tackle a wildfire season that experts say is on track to become one of the worst in years.
- Le Figaro (France)05:49
Face à sa pire saison des incendies depuis plusieurs années, amplifiée par le phénomène El Niño qui accentue la sécheresse, l’Indonésie pratique l’ensemencement de nuages.
- RMF24 (Poland)08:14
„Optymalizujemy chmury”. Nietypowa metoda walki z pożarami w Indonezji
- France Info (France)19:28
Face aux incendies qui ravagent l’Indonésie, le pays tente de provoquer la pluie en dispersant de l’iodure d’argent dans les nuages. Une technique coûteuse, utilisée dans plusieurs pays, dont l’efficacité et les effets environnementaux restent limités et incertains.
Wed, 19 August 2026
1 report- Libération (France)03:40
En proie à des incendies ravageurs, le pays mise sur la manipulation du ciel pour provoquer artificiellement de la pluie. Pour la chercheuse Marine Guglielmo Weber, cette technique reste toutefois entourée de nombreuses incertitudes.
Fri, 21 August 2026
1 report- thejakartapost.com13:28
Forest and land fires continue to spread across Kalimantan amid a prolonged dry season, with extensive land clearing through burning adding to the threat as the government’s weather modification efforts struggle to contain the intensifying blazes.
Sat, 22 August 2026
2 reports- Le Monde (France)12:55
Six hélicoptères devaient également arriver samedi pour renforcer les opérations de largage d’eau, a annoncé le gouvernement, afin de protéger l’île, qui abrite une forêt tropicale vierge et de vastes plantations.
- South China Morning Post13:13
Indonesia is deploying an additional 1,500 soldiers to Borneo, an official said on Saturday, to help tackle wildfires that have burned through swathes of the island and created thick smog choking some areas. Fires between January and July burned over 200,000 hectares of land – an area three times the size of the capital Jakarta, the government said this week, as dry conditions driven by a powerful El Nino weather pattern take hold. President Prabowo Subianto, on a visit to Borneo on Saturday...
2 reprints
- scmp.com22 Aug, 13:13their copy
- Al Jazeera English22 Aug, 13:35their copy
Sun, 23 August 2026
3 reports- South China Morning Post14:54
Indonesian authorities arrested 72 people suspected of starting some of the forest and peatland fires as huge blazes in central and west Indonesia triggered choking haze. Indonesia has been battling fires driven by an intensifying El Nino pattern and a prolonged dry season, generating dense smoke that crossed into Malaysia, according to Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency, or BNPB. Fires are a regular problem in Indonesia that strain relations with neighbouring countries....
2 reprints
- PBS NewsHour23 Aug, 18:33their copy
- Channel News Asia24 Aug, 03:47their copy
- ABC News (Australia)19:22
Authorities say many landowners are lighting fires for land clearing, sending massive plumes into the atmosphere that are choking swathes of South-East Asia.
- Google News - Top Stories19:27
Indonesian police arrest 72 people suspected of starting forest fires AP News Gripped by El Niño, Indonesia Battles Intensifying Wildfires The New York Times Indonesia prioritises Kalimantan region as wildfire hotspots rise Reuters Indonesia bolsters troop numbers to combat Borneo wildfires Al Jazeera Prabowo Surveys Indonesia Wildfires Causing World’s Worst Air Bloomberg.com
Mon, 24 August 2026
3 reports- NYT World04:01
The unusual weather pattern and dried out peatlands, a kind of wetland, have been behind some of the country’s worst fire seasons. This year could be one.
- Google News - Top Stories18:14
As El Niño Dries Indonesia, Wildfires Intensify The New York Times ‘Like smoking a cigarette’: Indonesia chokes on haze as blazes intensify amid super ‘El Niño’ The Guardian Indonesia battles haze as wildfires rage across South Sumatra forests Al Jazeera Indonesians brave choking smoke to pray for rain as country battles wildfires NPR Indonesia intensifies aerial firefighting as wildfire haze spreads to Malaysia AP News
- Anadolu Agency (AA)19:10
- El Nino intensifies fire risk as blazes affect more than 700,000 acres in Indonesia, exposing millions to smoke
Tue, 25 August 2026
11 reports- Japan Times00:58
The Indonesian president said authorities will revoke the permits of companies found to be responsible for forest fires that have left a Malaysian city with the world's worst air.
- winnipegfreepress.com03:50edited after publishing
previously
Muslims gather for rain prayers in Indonesia's wildfire-hit South SumatraPALEMBANG, Indonesia (AP) — Authorities in Indonesia’s South Sumatra province turned to spiritual measures on Tuesday as huge blazes in central and western regions scorched wide areas of forests and peatland, creating a choking haze that blanketed some cities in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country.
- Google News - Top Stories04:17
‘Like smoking a cigarette’: Indonesia chokes on haze as blazes intensify amid super ‘El Niño’ The Guardian Indonesians brave choking smoke to pray for rain as country battles wildfires NPR Indonesia prioritises Kalimantan region as wildfire hotspots rise Reuters Indonesia intensifies aerial firefighting as wildfire haze spreads to Malaysia AP News As El Niño Dries Indonesia, Wildfires Intensify The New York Times
- The Guardian World04:17
In Indonesia’s Kalimantan, fires have ravaged tens of thousands of acres, with suffocating smoke reaching Malaysia and putting Singapore on alert Suwadi can barely see five metres in front of him when he steps outside his home in Indonesian Borneo. Each breath, he says, feels “like smoking a cigarette”. Continue reading...
- Index.hr (Croatia)05:03
POŽARI u Indoneziji, pogoršani El Ninom i krčenjem šuma zbog proizvodnje palmina ulja, uništavaju prašume. Gusti dim izaziva regionalnu zdravstvenu krizu i zahvaća Maleziju i Singapur.
- NPR News05:24
Huge blazes in central and western regions of Indonesia have scorched wide areas of forests and peatland, creating a choking haze that blanketed some cities.
- South China Morning Post06:00
As massive forest and land fires burn across parts of Indonesia, sending haze towards neighbouring Malaysia, President Prabowo Subianto has vowed firm action against big corporations found responsible – reviving a long-running test of whether Jakarta can punish those behind the blazes and finally break the cycle. “We will go after them if they are proven guilty. We will penalise them according to the law,” Prabowo told reporters in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, on Saturday. He flew first...
- Channel News Asia07:15
Fires across Sumatra and Kalimantan have burned about 85,000 hectares, local media reported.
- Euronews08:27
Emergency services have been battling fires driven by an intensifying El Niño climate pattern and a prolonged dry season, generating dense smoke that crossed into Malaysia and Brunei.
- Al Jazeera English09:43
Indonesia deploys prayers and emergency measures to combat South Sumatra's raging wildfires and hazardous haze.
- Al Jazeera English13:01
Wildfires are raging across Indonesia, affecting at least 10 provinces and blanketing communities in hazardous haze.
Wed, 26 August 2026
5 reports- Euronews07:54
Fires between January and July burned more than 200,000 hectares of land, an area three times the size of the capital Jakarta, the government said last week.
- Channel News Asia08:48
The country’s meteorology agency detected 4,508 hotspots on Wednesday morning (Aug 26), with nearly eight in 10 in Kalimantan. President Prabowo Subianto has instructed officials to do more in preventing forest and land fires.
- thejakartapost.com10:04
As toxic haze blankets the region, Indonesia's 2027 draft budget reveals a dangerous paradox: chasing state revenue by doubling down on the very extractive projects fueling the fires and displacing its people.
- antaranews.com14:03
Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is urging wider use of satellite and geoinformatics technology to detect and tackle forest and ...
- antaranews.com14:50
A total of 4.6 million liters of water have been used in aerial firefighting operations against wildfires across six priority provinces, but efforts remain ...
Thu, 27 August 2026
4 reports- Al Jazeera English05:05
Locals on Indonesia’s Borneo Island are struggling to breathe as the smoke from wildfires is turning the air toxic.
- Le Monde (France)14:00
Alors que le phénomène El Niño accroît l’intensité de la saison sèche, des exploitants de plantations d’huile de palme ou de bois à papier sont soupçonnés de défricher des concessions forestières par le feu. Le président indonésien, Prabowo Subianto, a fait part de sa détermination à les punir.
- Al Jazeera English20:19
Al Jazeera’s Jessica Washington reports from an Indonesian clinic treating children struggling to breathe amid wildfires
- Al Jazeera English20:36
Fires severely impacting people's health in West Kalimantan, with pregnant women and children particularly vulnerable.
Fri, 28 August 2026
4 reports- pulpapernews.com00:00
A policy analysis involving researchers from Hasanuddin University finds that Indonesia's shift from gradual rehabilitation to stricter enforcement has not fully addressed the drivers of oil palm expansion in state forest zones and has created uncertainty for smallholder farmers. The study argues that forest restoration must balance environmental protection with livelihoods, land rights, and effective governance.
- thejakartapost.com01:42
As Indonesia's catastrophic wildfires choke the wider region yet again, the real culprit isn't the unusually prolonged dry weather but the corporate impunity and lax governance fueling the flames.
- thejakartapost.com09:21
The Riau Forest Rescue Network (Jikalahari) said its records showed that 66 percent of Riau’s natural forest had disappeared over the past 25 years, falling from 3.91 million hectares in 2000 to 1.31 million ha in 2025.
- France Info (France)15:49
Quelque 13 500 personnes ont été soignées pour des infections respiratoires en juillet et août, tandis que plus de 200 000 hectares ont brûlé depuis le début de l'année.
Sat, 29 August 2026
2 reports- Channel News Asia08:12
“Vulnerable groups that must be evaluated are children, the elderly, pregnant women with asthma and outdoor workers,” said deputy health minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono.
- Al Jazeera English12:45
Indonesia sets up shelters for babies, children affected by wildfire smoke
Sun, 30 August 2026
3 reports- Channel News Asia09:35
Wildlife organization Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia has rescued seven orangutans from fires so far, as the country battles to contain haze from forest and land fires
- thestar.com.my10:44
JAKARTA: Japan has offered Indonesia assistance with water-bombing operations to combat forest and land fires in Kalimantan, as the Air Pollutant Standard Index (ISPU) in the region surged past 1,000.
- South China Morning Post13:38
On Sunday morning, Jais, a farmer in Ketapang, West Kalimantan on Borneo island – the province hardest-hit by raging forest fires – was en route to his farm when he found an orangutan writhing on the ground in a weak state on a palm-oil plantation near the fire site. “It was very weak, then I gave it water,” said Jais, who only goes by one name. Indonesia has intensified efforts to contain haze from forest and land fires across six provinces in Borneo and Sumatra islands after smoke...
Mon, 31 August 2026
4 reports- Die Zeit (Germany)06:48
- yahoo.com11:19
JAKARTA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Indonesia is inspecting 19 companies linked to wildfires in Sumatra and Kalimantan as the government ramps up efforts to stop the fires from spreading further, officials
- Anadolu Agency (AA)13:15
Nearly 95,000 hectares burned in July alone as strong El Nino dries forests and peatlands across archipelago
- BBC News World22:05
Wildfires in Indonesia have destroyed part of the natural habitat of hundreds of orangutans, risking the survival of the species.
Tue, 1 September 2026
3 reports- Japan Times01:36
Authorities are on high alert as they work to contain the damage and avoid the devastation that hit in 2015, the last time it faced such "super-El Nino" weather conditions.
- bne IntelliNews03:22
Acute respiratory infections in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, reached 165,727 cases between January 1 and August 22, the local health office reports.
- Channel News Asia05:51
Indonesia is battling fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra, with some areas in Borneo remaining blanketed by “hazardous” levels of haze.
Wed, 2 September 2026
1 report- South China Morning Post12:01
About 1.4 million students in six Indonesian provinces had shifted to online learning due to poor air quality triggered by forest and land fires, an official said on Wednesday. As of September 2, around 1.43 million students from 12,874 schools in six of the provinces hit hardest by forest and land fires had been studying remotely, Gogot Suharwoto, an education ministry official, told the media. Indonesia has intensified efforts to contain haze caused by wildfire in the six provinces,...
Thu, 3 September 2026
3 reports- BBC News World11:35
Millions of people have been exposed to the smog, with more than 12,000 children suffering respiratory issues.
- tportal (Croatia)20:21Vatrena stihija guta sve pred sobom: Milijuni se bore za svaki udah, raste strah od 'ugljične bombe'
Šumski požari koji već tjednima haraju jugoistočnom Azijom, pretvorili su život u dijelovima Indonezije, Malezije, Singapura i Filipina u borbu za svaki udah
- Anadolu Agency (AA)21:51edited after publishing
No injuries reported in 168 fire incidents, according to authorities
Fri, 4 September 2026
6 reports- Channel News Asia04:17
September will be a crucial month, Indonesia’s forestry minister has cautioned, with experts saying the country may not have reached the peak of this year’s fire season yet.
- ABC News (Australia)05:09
A super El Niño is exacerbating drought and wildfire conditions in Sumatra and Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. Hazardous haze from the wildfires has spread as far as neighbouring countries across the region.
- Tagesschau (Germany)09:56
In Indonesien breiten sich die Waldbrände weiter aus. Vor allem auf der Insel Borneo, einem der letzten natürlichen Lebensräume der Orang-Utans, stehen große Flächen in Flammen. Die Brände sind nicht unter Kontrolle.
- NYT World10:11edited after publishing
previously
Haze From Indonesian Wildfires Blankets Parts of Malaysia, PhilippinesA powerful El Niño is fanning what could be Indonesia’s worst fire season in years, one that is also raising fears of a regional health crisis.
- Al Jazeera English17:38
Indonesia’s Kalimantan province, sending smoke and toxic haze across Southeast Asia.
- thestar.com.my19:43
JAKARTA/NUSANTARA: Wildfires have begun spreading near Indonesia's under-construction new capital, prompting project authorities to urge the disaster mitigation agency to carry out cloud-seeding and water-bombing operations, officials said.
Sat, 5 September 2026
1 report- Channel News Asia01:32
The biggest of the fires in Nusantara was at a forest park at Bukit Suharto - or Suharto Hill - where around 300 hectares have burned.
Sun, 6 September 2026
4 reports- Japan Times08:21
The hazardous smoke has led to more respiratory problems, forced schools to close and has been drifting to neighboring countries.
- bne IntelliNews09:22
The eruptions span multiple island chains across the Pacific Ring of Fire, from the Sunda Strait and East Java to East Nusa Tenggara and North Maluku.
- Novinky (Czechia)19:05
Sezónní požáry postihují lesy a rašeliniště po celé Indonésii. To má vážné dopady na zdraví místních obyvatel a přírodní ekosystémy. Na snímcích z družice je vidět hustý dým z jednotlivých požárů, který zakrývá skoro celý ostrov Borneo.
- BBC News World23:13
Peat fires in Borneo are releasing ancient stores of carbon - and sending a toxic smog across South East Asia.
Mon, 7 September 2026
1 report- ABC News (Australia)01:54
For three exhausting months, Andri Susanto and his crew have been fighting raging fires on the island of Borneo — and blazes are taking a toll across the region.
Tue, 8 September 2026
1 report- Channel News Asia03:51
Indonesia is tackling several crises, including the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, heightened volcanic activity and persistent forest fires.
Wed, 9 September 2026
3 reports- internazionale.it08:16
By David Stanway and Fransiska NangoySINGAPORE/JAKARTA, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Indonesia is facing a surge in emissions from wildfires burning through parched stretches of fo… Leggi
1 reprint
- South China Morning Post9 Sept, 15:30their copy
- Channel News Asia08:33
From Sep 1 to Sep 7, fire emission intensity exceeded 1,500kg per sq km, more than 10 times the Russian level, with the highest concentrations in Kalimantan in Indonesia's part of Borneo and eastern parts of Sumatra.
- South China Morning Post10:10
Schools in the capital of Indonesia’s South Sumatra province switched to remote learning on Wednesday as worsening haze from forest and peatland fires pushed air pollution to unhealthy levels, adding to disruptions that had already affected more than 1.4 million students across the country, officials said. Indonesia has been plagued by forest and land fires for decades but an intensifying El Nino pattern and a prolonged dry season made the impact of the fires especially dire this year. Toxic...
Thu, 10 September 2026
3 reports- NYT World02:39
The authorities in Malaysian Borneo have been trying to seed clouds to counteract the effects of smoke wafting in from neighboring Indonesia.
- click2houston.com07:10
A Japanese military transport ship docked on the island of Borneo as part of a disaster relief mission to help fight wildfires in Indonesia that are causing a toxic haze impacting people’s health in other countries.
- South China Morning Post10:06
Indonesia’s wildfires are creeping towards Nusantara, the country’s new capital under construction on Borneo island, challenging its promise of becoming an eco-friendly “smart forest city”. The Southeast Asian nation is battling what officials call its most intense wildfire season in 11 years. Nearly 202,000 hectares (499,000 acres) of forest and peatland have been razed nationwide from January to June, according to Sipongi, the Indonesian forest ministry’s monitoring platform. Sipongi data...
Fri, 11 September 2026
1 report- Channel News Asia02:18
More than 12.5 million people in Indonesia have been exposed to haze caused by fires across seven provinces, says the country's health ministry.
Sat, 12 September 2026
3 reports- South China Morning Post00:00
Dr Asma Zafirah doesn’t need satellite images to know when Kalimantan is burning. She sees it in the watery eyes and laboured breaths of the patients at her clinic in Sarawak, and the children who are kept home from school to protect them from the toxic air. Southeast Asia’s transboundary haze crisis was meant to have been brought under control six years ago. But Borneo is once again belching out dangerous emissions, as fires in the peatlands and forests of Kalimantan – Indonesia’s section of...
- South China Morning Post04:00
Irma smells the fire before she sees it: a column of thick, yellow-tinged smoke rising above the tree line near her small wooden home. She pulls on heavy rubber boots, checks her equipment and drives straight into the impenetrable smog emanating from wildfires devouring the peatland and ancient forests of Borneo. “I am terrified that the flames will reach residential areas. It is extremely dangerous,” the 39-year-old mother told This Week in Asia, moments before disappearing into the murk...
- fairobserver.com12:23
Indonesia’s recurring disasters are predictable risks worsened by inadequate funding. The National Disaster Management Agency’s 2026