'It smells like charred earth': BBC at Indonesia fire epicentre causing Singapore and Malaysia haze crisis

Indonesia’s forest fires release huge amounts of smoke into the atmosphere. Winds can carry that smoke across the sea into neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia. This turns a national fire emergency into a regional haze crisis. The headlines report haze reaching both countries, as well as Jakarta.

A fire near Indonesia’s fire epicentre can send a smoke plume far beyond the burning land. Fine particles remain suspended in the air and can travel with changing winds. The result is polluted, hazy air even in places where there are no fires. Indonesia’s fires have burned nearly two million hectares, according to Monitor.

The current crisis has regional consequences. Singapore and Malaysia must deal with unhealthy or unpleasant air, while Indonesia faces the fires themselves. Indonesia has held off offers of foreign help, saying it can manage alone. Continued burning would prolong the haze, while successful firefighting would reduce the smoke affecting neighbouring countries.

Haze is a layer of polluted air containing tiny particles and gases from burning vegetation and other materials. It can reduce visibility and make the air smell smoky. Haze is different from a single local smoke cloud because it can spread across a large region and remain suspended in the atmosphere.

When forests or peatlands burn, hot air lifts smoke upward. Winds then move the smoke horizontally. Fine particles can travel across seas and borders before settling or being cleared by rain. Indonesia’s fires provide the source, while weather determines where the smoke goes. The supplied headlines report haze reaching Jakarta, Singapore, and Malaysia.

This explains why a fire emergency in one country becomes a shared regional problem. People in neighbouring countries can breathe polluted air without any fire burning nearby. The current headlines describe a haze crisis and continuing firefighting concerns. If fires continue, winds may keep carrying smoke across borders; rain and extinguished fires would help clear it.

Monitor reports that fires in Indonesia have burned nearly two million hectares. A hectare is 10,000 square metres, or 0.01 square kilometres. Therefore, two million hectares equals about 20,000 square kilometres. Because the reported figure is “nearly” two million, the area is just under that conversion.

This is an enormous burned area, not a single small fire. Nearly 20,000 square kilometres is roughly comparable to Slovenia’s total area. The comparison helps show why the fires can create smoke over a wide region. It also explains why firefighting and smoke control require sustained operations across many locations.

The figure comes from Monitor, one of the reports identified in the source headlines. It describes the scale of the Indonesian fires during the haze crisis. The number does not, by itself, identify how much land is forest, peatland, plantation, or farmland. It does show that the emergency is large enough to affect Indonesia and neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia.

Smoke from large fires can irritate the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. It can worsen breathing problems, especially for children, older people, and those with respiratory conditions. Haze can also reduce visibility, making roads, airports, and waterways harder to use. These are established effects of smoke pollution; the supplied headlines do not give detailed medical or travel figures.

In Indonesia, communities near fires may face smoke, evacuations, closed schools, or difficult outdoor work. In Singapore and Malaysia, people may limit exercise, outdoor activities, and time outside. Thick haze can delay flights, slow road traffic, and affect shipping when visibility falls. The article headlines specifically report a haze crisis and haze reaching Jakarta, Singapore, and Malaysia.

The consequences therefore extend beyond the burning land. Health services may face more smoke-related complaints, while businesses and travel may be disrupted. The scale of the fires—nearly two million hectares—raises the risk of prolonged effects. Reducing harm depends on controlling fires and preventing new burning, while weather determines how quickly polluted air clears.

Forest and peatland fires are difficult to fight because they can cover large, remote areas. Dry vegetation burns readily and helps flames spread. Peat adds another challenge. It is made from partly decomposed plant material and can burn slowly underground rather than only in visible flames.

An underground peat fire may smoulder beneath the surface, hidden from firefighters. Water thrown onto visible flames may not reach every burning pocket. Smoke and heat can emerge elsewhere, and a fire can reignite after the surface looks safe. Drained peat is especially vulnerable because it loses moisture and becomes a deeper, more continuous fuel source.

These features help explain why Indonesia’s fires have produced a regional haze crisis and burned nearly two million hectares. The source headlines do not describe specific firefighting methods or locations. They do report Indonesia’s decision to hold off foreign help while saying it can manage alone. Effective control requires finding hidden burning areas and preventing renewed fires.

Responsibility normally sits with Indonesia’s national government and local authorities in affected provinces, supported by forestry, emergency-management, fire, police, and military services where assigned. The supplied headlines do not identify particular agencies, so no specific authority can be named from the source alone. They do show that Indonesia is directing the response.

Foreign assistance involves other governments offering aircraft, firefighters, equipment, or technical support. Malaysia and other countries made offers, according to the headlines. Indonesia has put those offers on hold and says it can manage the fires on its own. That decision concerns outside operational help, not whether neighbouring countries are affected by the smoke.

The arrangement matters because the fires are large and their smoke crosses borders. Indonesia must coordinate its own response while deciding whether outside resources are needed. If the fires continue or conditions worsen, foreign offers could become more significant. The current reported position is that Indonesia is holding off assistance while handling the emergency itself.

Land clearing can create fire risk when vegetation is cut, dried, and burned to prepare land. Dry weather removes moisture from leaves, grasses, forest debris, and soil. That makes ignition easier and allows flames to spread faster. When burning is not fully controlled, nearby forests and peatlands can catch fire.

Peatlands are especially vulnerable after drainage. Waterlogged peat normally stays wet, but drainage lowers the water table and exposes dry organic material to heat. A fire can then burn through peat below the surface. It may spread slowly, produce heavy smoke, and reappear after visible flames are gone. Repeated clearing and drying can create the conditions for recurring fires.

This cycle helps explain why Indonesia faces repeated fire and haze emergencies. The supplied headlines report nearly two million hectares burned and haze reaching Singapore and Malaysia, but they do not state the exact causes of this episode. In general, preventing drainage, controlling land-clearing fires, and restoring moisture would reduce risk. Continued dry conditions would make new outbreaks more likely.