Firefighters battle twin blazes threatening Riau capital

A fireman and volunteers helping to put out a fire in Bukit Raya, Pekanbaru, in the heart of the Riau capital yesterday. The blaze and another fire in Payung Sekaki, in north Pekanbaru, were both near residential areas, unlike most of the other haze-
A fireman and volunteers helping to put out a fire in Bukit Raya, Pekanbaru, in the heart of the Riau capital yesterday. The blaze and another fire in Payung Sekaki, in north Pekanbaru, were both near residential areas, unlike most of the other haze-causing fires, which are burning in remote forests. ST PHOTOS: KHALID BABA
A fireman and volunteers helping to put out a fire in Bukit Raya, Pekanbaru, in the heart of the Riau capital yesterday. The blaze and another fire in Payung Sekaki, in north Pekanbaru, were both near residential areas, unlike most of the other haze-
Jalan Sudirman in Pekanbaru was shrouded in haze during the evening peak hour yesterday. The city is being enveloped by haze originating mostly from Riau’s neighbouring provinces, including Jambi and South Sumatra. ST PHOTOS: KHALID BABA
New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

Firefighters were yesterday battling raging fires at two locations in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau province.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo had just visited the area three days ago to see for himself the fires which the authorities believe were started intentionally to clear land for plantation and other commercial purposes.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 21, 2019, with the headline Firefighters battle twin blazes threatening Riau capital. Subscribe