JAKARTA, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's Riau province recorded 15,318 hectares of burned forest and land during January-May 2026, surging sharply from 751.1 hectares in the same period last year, the region's forest fire control center said Wednesday.
The burned area was the largest for the January-May period since 2019, according to the center.
Forest and land fire prevention efforts continue through ground and aerial patrols to accelerate response, with a focus on public outreach and monitoring conditions in fire-prone villages, it said.
Most of the burned area consisted of peatland, covering 14,162 hectares, while mineral land fires covered 1,155 hectares. ■
