By Zoila Palma: Wildfires in Indonesia’s Bangka Belitung province have spread into a densely populated residential area, destroying 305 houses and forcing approximately 500 people to evacuate, according to the local disaster mitigation agency.
The fires began on Saturday afternoon in Serdang village in South Bangka and continued into late Sunday, affecting at least 1,800 people, Reuters report.
The agency said strong winds helped the flames spread into residential communities, while peatland terrain, limited water supplies and wooden house construction made it more difficult for firefighters to contain the blaze.
Indonesia is experiencing its most intense wildfire activity in 11 years, with fires concentrated mainly on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.
From January through July this year, fires burned approximately 202,000 hectares (499,153 acres) across the country, while non-governmental organizations estimate that an additional 600,000 hectares or more may have burned in the following months.
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