Wildfires in Indonesia’s Bangka Belitung province have spread into a densely populated residential area, destroying 305 houses and forcing around 500 people to evacuate, according to the local disaster mitigation agency.
The fire broke out on Saturday afternoon in Serdang village in South Bangka and continued until late Sunday. Strong winds fueled the blaze, allowing it to spread rapidly into nearby residential communities.
At least 1,800 people were affected, while about 500 residents were evacuated to a nearby school and mosque. No casualties have been reported.
The fire burned approximately 8.3 hectares, or 20.5 acres, of land. Authorities said strong winds, peatland terrain, limited water supplies and the use of wood in house construction made it difficult for firefighters to contain the blaze.
To assist displaced residents, the disaster mitigation agency has established evacuation tents and a public kitchen and distributed food, drinking water and clothing.
The incident marks the first time this year that wildfires in Indonesia have destroyed hundreds of homes in a single event, as the country faces its most intense wildfire activity in 11 years, particularly on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.
Official figures show that fires burned approximately 202,000 hectares across Indonesia from January through July. Environmental organizations estimate that a further 600,000 hectares or more may have burned in the months that followed, highlighting the scale of the country’s ongoing wildfire crisis.
