Jakarta. About 735 hectares of peatland remain affected by forest and land fires in six Indonesian provinces, with authorities warning that fires can reignite underground even after appearing to have been extinguished.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) chief Suharyanto said Tuesday that fires had affected a total of 72,008 hectares of peatland in West Kalimantan, Riau, South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Sumatra, and Jambi.

Joint firefighting teams have extinguished 71,274.29 hectares, leaving 734.81 hectares still burning as of Monday, he said.

“The lands that are still burning are currently being extinguished,” Suharyanto said.

He cautioned that the figure could change as fires in peatlands are difficult to detect and can reignite after being declared extinguished.

Authorities are using satellite data from the Forestry Ministry and the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) to identify hotspots, which are then checked through aerial and ground patrols.

Some newly detected fire spots may be fresh fires, while others can be underground embers that have reignited at locations where fires were previously put out, Suharyanto said.

“That is the difficulty with peatland fires,” he said, adding that authorities would continue monitoring affected areas to prevent fires from spreading or returning.

Peatland fires have become a major concern in Indonesia during the dry season because underground fires can smolder for extended periods and produce significant amounts of smoke and haze.

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