JAKARTA (Jakarta Post/Asia News Network) - Indonesia's weather agency detected 72 hotspots on Sumatra island on Tuesday, indicating an increasing number of forest and land fires.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Pekanbaru chapter head Sugarin said most of the hotspots - 54 - were in Riau province.

"Hotspots reappeared in Riau this week after we extinguished the fires using artificial rain previously," Sugarin said in Pekanbaru as quoted by Antara news agency.