Indonesian officials race to contain wildfires as dozens of schools shut

Cloud-seeding aircraft have been deployed as dozens of schools remain closed due to poor air quality.Published On 11 Aug 202611 Aug 2026Authorities in Indonesia are scrambling to contain wildfires that have burned through more than 100,000 hectares (247,000 acres) of land and led to the deployment of nearly 50,000 firefighters.Dozens of schools remain closed for a second day on Tuesday due to poor air quality caused by the blazes.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3June and July hottest on record in Western Europe, monitor sayslist 2 of 3Indonesia closes national park in East Java as wildfire expandslist 3 of 3Wildfires burn across Indonesia as officials cite El Nino as a causeend of listIn West Kalimantan on the island of Borneo, which Indonesia shares with Malaysia and Brunei, the mayor of Pontianak ordered schools closed due to the smoke wafting over the city from fires elsewhere.Children will learn from home for as long as air quality remains poor, Mayor Edi Rusdi Kamtono said in a statement on Monday.El Nino has contributed to dry conditions across the archipelago, increasing the risk of wildfires, as officials prioritise tackling the blazes in six provinces: Riau, J...