Indonesia recorded a sharp increase in forest fire hotspots on Oct 28, with 118 high-confidence hotspots detected nationwide, up nearly 49.4% from 79 the previous day, according to the country's Ministry of Forestry.
Satellite monitoring data from the ministry's SiPongi system showed that South Papua accounted for 84 hotspots, or more than 70% of the national total, making it the worst-affected province.
East Kalimantan followed with 24 hotspots, South Sulawesi with five, Central Sulawesi with four and West Sulawesi with one.
The data was collected from NASA's Terra/Aqua, SNPP and NOAA-20 satellites as of 9pm Western Indonesian Time on Wednesday (Oct 28).
Despite the nationwide increase, six priority provinces for forest and land fire prevention – Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan – recorded no high-confidence hotspots for the second consecutive day.
However, the ministry cautioned that an absence of satellite-detected hotspots did not necessarily mean fires had been fully extinguished.
It explained that hotspots represent temperature anomalies detected by satellites and should not be interpreted directly as the number of fires or the extent of land burned.
The ministry said particular attention was being directed towards South Papua, which remains under a forest and land fire emergency response status until Nov 28, 2026.
Meanwhile, firefighting operations are continuing in several provinces despite the absence of high-confidence hotspots in the latest satellite readings.
In Jambi, firefighters successfully extinguished a blaze in Simpang Terusan, Batang Hari, but operations were ongoing in Simpang Datuk, Tanjung Jabung Timur, and Desa Tanjung, Muaro Jambi, where fires on peatland had not been fully extinguished.
In South Sumatra, a fire in Timbangan, Ogan Ilir, was successfully put out, while teams continued tackling underground peat fires in Talang Rimba, Ogan Komering Ilir.
Although moderate to heavy rainfall was recorded in the area, further firefighting operations remained necessary.
In South Kalimantan, fires in Landasan Ulin Barat, Banjarbaru, had been brought under control, but thick smoke continued to be observed at several locations.
Firefighters also extinguished a blaze in Sambaliung, Berau Regency, East Kalimantan, while operations remained ongoing in parts of Central Sulawesi.
The Ministry of Forestry warned that peatland fires could continue burning beneath the surface even when satellite monitoring no longer detected hotspots.
Such fires require continuous ground inspections, water saturation, extinguishing of remaining embers and cooling operations to prevent reignition.
To support firefighting efforts, Indonesia has deployed 61 aircraft, comprising 24 aircraft for patrols and weather modification operations and 37 helicopters for aerial water bombing.
Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has instructed firefighting teams to maximise rainfall opportunities expected through early November to strengthen water saturation efforts in vulnerable areas.
Following that period, joint patrols will be intensified to prevent new fires, particularly in peatland regions.
The ministry said firefighting operations were being coordinated with the National Disaster Management Agency, military, police, meteorological authorities, local governments, businesses and volunteers.