JAKARTA/PALANGKARAYA — Indonesia is dramatically escalating its battle against raging forest and land fires across Borneo, deploying around 1,500 additional soldiers and six helicopters as thick smoke blankets parts of Kalimantan and pushes unhealthy haze across the border into Malaysia.
The reinforcement was ordered by President Prabowo Subianto during a visit to fire-hit Kalimantan on Saturday, August 22, as Indonesia confronts one of its most serious wildfire periods in recent years.
Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said three Indonesian military battalions—roughly 1,500 personnel from outside Kalimantan—were being sent to reinforce operations in West Kalimantan, with the deployment continuing through Sunday morning.
Six additional helicopters are also being mobilized for firefighting, water-bombing and logistical support.
The latest deployment comes on top of a much larger operation already underway.
Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry said on August 21 that 12,880 personnel from multiple agencies and organizations had been involved in wildfire-control operations across Kalimantan, including firefighters from the ministry’s Manggala Agni units, military personnel, police, regional disaster agencies, local governments, community fire groups and volunteers.
Of that force, 758 were Manggala Agni firefighters deployed across West, Central, South and East Kalimantan.
More Than 200,000 Hectares Already Burned
The scale of the crisis extends far beyond individual fire fronts.
More than 200,000 hectares of land across Indonesia were burned between January and July 2026, according to government figures reported by AFP—an area roughly three times the size of Jakarta.
The fires have intensified as Indonesia experiences unusually dry conditions associated with a powerful El Niño weather pattern, which can reduce rainfall and leave vegetation and peatlands highly vulnerable to ignition.
But weather is only part of the problem.
Indonesian officials and environmental authorities have repeatedly pointed to human activity—including deliberate burning and land clearing—as a major cause of forest and peatland fires.
President Prabowo has now warned that companies found responsible for deliberately clearing land through fire could face legal action.
Speaking in Palangkaraya after inspecting the situation, Prabowo said authorities must act firmly if corporate involvement is proven.
That warning could become increasingly important as investigators attempt to determine how many of the current fires were deliberately started rather than caused naturally.
Hotspots Surged Across Kalimantan
Satellite monitoring has shown how quickly conditions can deteriorate.
Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry said high-confidence hotspots across three of the most closely watched Kalimantan provinces reached 123 on August 17, including 93 in West Kalimantan.
The geographic pattern then shifted sharply.
By August 18, West Kalimantan’s recorded high-confidence hotspots had declined, while Central and South Kalimantan saw increases. Authorities said the changing pattern demonstrated why ground patrols, aerial monitoring and rapid deployment were necessary.
Officials intensified operations again after hotspot activity rose and residents reported thicker haze and increasingly limited visibility.
President Prabowo said the immediate priority was stopping existing fires from expanding and preventing new hotspots from multiplying.
Authorities are also providing equipment to drill wells in areas where firefighters have struggled to obtain enough water.
Smoke Is No Longer Just Indonesia’s Problem
Perhaps the most worrying development is happening across the border.
Smoke from fires in Kalimantan has reached neighboring Sarawak, Malaysia, pushing air pollution readings into unhealthy territory.
On August 22, Malaysia recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index readings across numerous locations in Sarawak.
Serian reached an API reading of about 190 to 197 during parts of the day, while Kuching approached similar levels. Other affected locations included Samarahan, Sri Aman, Sarikei, Sibu, Mukah, Bintulu, Samalaju and Miri.
Under Malaysia’s system, readings from 101 to 200 are classified as unhealthy, while 201 to 300 are considered very unhealthy.
The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre has also been tracking substantial hotspot activity across Kalimantan. Malaysian officials cited hundreds of detected hotspots as dry conditions increased the possibility of further transboundary smoke.
Malaysia has consequently called for stronger regional cooperation under the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, the long-standing regional framework intended to prevent and control cross-border haze.
Singapore Is Watching the Situation Too
The crisis has implications beyond Malaysia.
Singapore authorities have also been monitoring fires in Indonesia because prolonged dry weather combined with favorable wind directions can transport smoke from Kalimantan or Sumatra toward the city-state.
Whether Singapore experiences significant haze depends not simply on how many fires are burning but also on their location, intensity, rainfall and prevailing wind direction.
That makes the coming days particularly important.
If dry conditions continue and fires expand, the consequences could extend far beyond the communities immediately surrounding the burning land.
Why Peat Fires Are So Difficult to Stop
One reason Indonesia’s wildfire seasons can become so severe is the country’s extensive peatlands.
When healthy, peatlands remain waterlogged and store enormous quantities of carbon.
But when drained for agriculture or development, peat can become extremely dry.
Once ignited, peat fires can burn underground, sometimes continuing even when flames are no longer clearly visible above the surface. That makes conventional firefighting much more difficult and can generate enormous volumes of smoke.
Firefighters may need to continuously soak affected areas, locate underground burning zones and maintain operations long after an apparent surface fire has been extinguished.
This is also why Indonesia is deploying equipment to create additional water sources near vulnerable areas.
Indonesia Has Been Here Before
The return of serious transboundary haze carries uncomfortable memories for Southeast Asia.
Indonesia has suffered several catastrophic wildfire seasons, particularly during strong El Niño years.
The 2015 fires became one of the region’s worst environmental disasters, blanketing Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia in smoke, disrupting schools and flights and exposing millions of people to unhealthy air.
A severe fire season struck again in 2019.
Since then, Indonesia has strengthened prevention programs, peatland restoration efforts, firefighting operations and enforcement against illegal burning.
Yet the latest outbreak demonstrates how quickly the threat can return when prolonged dry weather combines with vulnerable landscapes and human ignition.
The Bigger Question: Can Indonesia Contain It Before the Haze Spreads Further?
Indonesia is now throwing thousands of personnel, military reinforcements, helicopters, ground crews and monitoring systems into the fight.
But the true test will not simply be how many fires authorities extinguish this weekend.
It will be whether they can prevent new fires from emerging as the dry season continues.
For communities in Kalimantan, the immediate danger is fire and smoke.
For Malaysia—and potentially Singapore—the danger is that Indonesia’s wildfire emergency becomes a regional air-pollution crisis.
And with more than 200,000 hectares already burned this year, the addition of 1,500 soldiers sends a clear message:
Jakarta believes the threat is serious enough that ordinary firefighting operations are no longer enough.
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