JAKARTA, 18th August, 2026 (WAM) -- An Indonesian minister said wildfires in the country destroyed around 235,000 acres in July alone.
Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said on Tuesday that the area was nearly double the damage recorded during the previous six months, as the El Niño climate phenomenon intensified.
Data from the Ministry of Forestry showed that 202,004 hectares, or 499,162 acres, were burned between January and July, up from 107,465 hectares, or around 265,000 acres, between January and June.
Antoni said that by mid-August, the intensity of El Niño had exceeded 2015 levels, the last time the phenomenon occurred with similar strength.
Despite this, the area affected by wildfires was smaller than during the same period in 2015, when fires burned 600,000 hectares, or around 1.4 million acres.
Antoni said the affected area had already exceeded levels seen in 2019 and 2023, but given that current El Niño conditions were similar to those of 2015, the area remained below the 2015 level. He said authorities were working hard to address the situation.
Indonesia's meteorological agency expects El Niño conditions to continue until early 2027, with forest and land fires forecast to peak between August and September.