BANGKA: A forest fire on Indonesia's Sumatra island has razed nearly 300 homes, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate, an official said, as the country battles devastating blazes and haze. Residents first spotted the fire approaching their village in the Bangka Belitung province on Saturday and tried to put it out themselves with portable water pumps, mayor Riza Herdavid told reporters.
"They thought it was taken care of. But it's peatland, and there was still a fire smouldering underneath. So, when they assumed it was over, the wind shifted and quickly drove the fire toward the settlement." The local disaster agency said nearly 1,000 people fled the village. Mayor Riza said the village was built on what used to be peatland in a protected area, converted into a housing complex last year.
Indonesia regularly battles wildfires during the dry season, but has seen stronger-than-usual blazes this year because of the drought-causing El Nino weather phenomenon, set to be one of the strongest since comparable records began four decades ago. Experts also point to slash-and-burn land-clearing practices that have changed the naturally fire-resistant landscape of Sumatra and Borneo islands. — AFP
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