Schools close over peatland fire haze

Fiery battle: A chilli plantation owner trying to extinguish a peatland fire to protect his property in Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra. — AFP

An Indonesian city with a population of hundreds of thousands has shut schools for three days because of haze caused by large peatland fires, its mayor said.

A prolonged dry season has caused higher risks of wildfires on the archipelago nation’s major islands, stoking fears of repeat haze-belching forest fires that have also affected neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore in recent years.