Indonesia’s peat fires are intensifying early in the 2026 fire season as severe drought and a strengthening El Niño dry out wetlands that normally remain too wet to burn. Unlike typical forest fires, peat fires can smolder underground for months, making them extremely difficult to extinguish and allowing them to continue burning until heavy rains return.
These fires are also highly polluting. One estimate suggests that peat fires can produce three times more fine particulate matter than other tropical forest fires, along with significantly higher levels of sulfur dioxide, organic carbon, methane, and carbon monoxide. Satellite monitoring can also struggle to detect the worst fires when thick smoke, forest canopies, or underground burning hide them from view.
The 2026 fire season is raising concerns about a repeat of the devastating 2015 crisis, when Indonesia’s fires produced massive greenhouse gas emissions and hazardous smoke affected millions of people. Scientists are now working to improve satellite-based detection and strengthen fire monitoring, while efforts to restore drained peatlands could help reduce the risk of future fires.
