Firefighters battle peatland fires on Indonesia’s Sumatra island
By MUHAMMAD HATTA
Associated Press
PALEMBANG, Indonesia (AP) — Firefighters in Indonesia are battling several peatland fires in three villages on Sumatra island. The fires started Tuesday afternoon near residential areas and along a highway. The firefighters are hampered because water sources were far away and several reservoirs are dry. Forest and peat fires are an annual problem in Indonesia that strains relations with neighboring countries. Smoke from the fires has blanketed parts of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and southern Thailand with a noxious haze. The National Disaster Management Agency says the current fires in South Sumatra province would not affect neighboring countries.
