Indonesia’s Fire Hotspots More Than Double in Priority Provinces as Malaysia Keeps Schools Shut in Johor, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan

October 14: Smoke from Indonesia’s forest and peatland fires kept schools closed across three Malaysian states on Wednesday. As of 8:54 am, 27 of Malaysia’s 68 air-quality monitoring stations recorded unhealthy readings, up from 20 the previous morning, with the worst at Pasir Gudang in Johor (177), Malay Mail reported from Department of Environment data. In Indonesia, high-confidence fire hotspots in six priority provinces more than doubled in a day, from 238 to 542, according to Forestry Ministry satellite data reported by Bernama.

Key highlights

• All primary and secondary schools in Johor, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan are closed on Wednesday, along with schools in nine other districts in Selangor, Pahang, Sabah and Sarawak, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said, Bernama reported. Lessons have moved to home-based learning.
• Indonesia recorded 1,085 high-confidence hotspots nationwide as of 9 pm on October 12, Bernama reported, citing the Forestry Ministry’s SiPongi monitoring system.
• Central Kalimantan’s hotspots tripled in a day, from 74 to 227; South Kalimantan’s rose from 15 to 113.
• Haze forced seven flight cancellations at Makassar’s Sultan Hasanuddin airport, affecting 1,070 passengers, ANTARA reported.
• Indonesia’s environment minister aims to put out all forest and land fires within a month, ANTARA reported, according to a Bernama summary.

Indonesia: hotspots by province

Nationwide, the count has climbed for four days running, according to Bernama’s reports of the ministry’s data:

By our calculation, the nationwide count rose about 2.8 times in three days. The Forestry Ministry warned that peat fires can keep smouldering underground after the visible flames are out, so wetting and cooling in South Sumatra and Central Kalimantan must continue until areas are completely safe, Bernama reported. Indonesia has deployed 61 aircraft, including 44 for water-bombing, and plans to test a firefighting liquid supplied by Brazil, the agency said on October 12.

Malaysia: where the air is worst

Johor had the most unhealthy stations (seven), followed by Selangor (five), and all three Melaka stations worsened overnight, Malay Mail reported. Health and education authorities urged parents, high-risk groups and students with breathing problems to wear masks outdoors and check hourly readings.

The cross-border question

Malaysia has offered Indonesia one firefighting aircraft, three helicopters and 52 personnel, and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on October 12 that Kuala Lumpur was still awaiting Jakarta’s response, Bernama reported. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said last week he had contacted President Prabowo Subianto to offer help. We reported the first school closures on October 12: haze shuts schools in Johor, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan.

Wildlife and travel

As of October 8, rescue and protection efforts covered 290 animals affected by the fires, including 96 Bornean orangutans, 272 of them in four Kalimantan provinces, Bernama reported. In eastern Indonesia, visibility at Ternate’s Sultan Baabullah airport fell to about 1.2 km, forcing diversions, ANTARA reported.

What to watch

• Whether Malaysia extends school closures beyond Wednesday, and whether Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur are added.
• Indonesia’s response to Malaysia’s firefighting offer.
• Rain forecasts for Sumatra and Kalimantan, which usually decide how fast the haze clears.
• Whether Singapore’s air quality, so far not affected in the reports we read, deteriorates.

What it means

The data point in opposite directions: Indonesia’s government talks of putting the fires out within a month, but the hotspot count has more than doubled in four days and peat fires are notoriously hard to extinguish. For Malaysia, the cost is already concrete, with schools in three states shut and more than a third of monitoring stations in the unhealthy range. Until Jakarta accepts outside help or the rains arrive, the haze is likely to remain a regional problem rather than a local one.

Sources

• Malay Mail: Haze continues hitting Johor, Selangor, KL hard: API 177 in Pasir Gudang
• Bernama: Haze: All schools in Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan closed on Wednesday
• Media Selangor (Bernama): Forest fire hotspots more than double in Indonesia’s six priority provinces
• Media Selangor (Bernama): Forest fires continue to plague Indonesia as regional haze concerns persist
• Bernama: Top News Headlines in Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand & Vietnam, Oct 14, 2026

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International Desk

The International Desk covers world and Asian affairs, diplomacy and conflict, with a focus on what they mean for India. Stories are checked against at least two credible sources before publication.

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