Indonesia province shuts schools as haze from fires returns

Noxious haze from new deliberately set fires have blanketed parts of Indonesia’s Sumatra island after days of improving air quality.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Agus Wibowo says nearly 1,200 fires were burning nationwide on Monday morning, an increase from less than half that over the past week.

Wibowo says South Sumatra province has the most fires, with nearly 700 hotspots. That’s prompting authorities to shut most schools in Palembang, the province’s capital, to protect children from the haze. Airport officials say poor visibility caused delays at the city’s main airport.

Haze from Indonesian fires, often set to clear land for planting, is an annual problem for Southeast Asia.