Race to douse fires as dry season peaks

Wildfire hazard: A child in discomfort of smoke arising from a wildfire in Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra. — AFP

Firefighters are rushing to extinguish forest and land fires across parts of Indonesia, with the scorching weather in the South-East Asian nation worsened by an El Nino dry spell and set to peak this month.

Eight out of 44 wildfire incidents in southern Sumatra have been successfully extinguished, the Environment and Forestry Ministry said in a statement late Friday.