Raging wildfires kill four in Indonesia as country battles worst blazes for a decade

Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in Raging wildfires kill four in Indonesia as country battles worst blazes for a decade Shweta Sharma Friday 16 October 2026 12:11 BST Bookmark popover Removed from bookmarks Close popover Wildfire in the Bukit Batu area of Palangkaraya, Indonesia ( AFP/Getty ) Four people have been killed and two severely injured after becoming trapped by wildfires in East Java, Indonesia . Indonesia is experiencing its worst forest and land fires in over a decade, with satellite-detected hotspots rising to 799 and nearly 900,000 hectares burned. Protests have erupted in Central Kalimantan demanding that the government declare a national disaster and deploy water-bombing helicopters. The resulting toxic smog has led to a sharp increase in health issues, with respiratory illness cases across seven provinces more than doubling to over 280,000. President Prabowo Subianto has agreed to accept foreign assistance from neighbouring countries, including Malaysia and Singapore , to help tackle the crisis. In full Four killed as wildfire traps firefighters in Indonesian national park