Strong winds, deep peatlands and the distance from natural water sources are the biggest challenges facing firefighters in Riau province as they battle to tame haze-causing forest fires - including many started deliberately by recalcitrant farmers looking to clear land.
Flames had been doused in many peatlands but the fires re-emerged in areas where the peat was deeper than 3m after travelling below ground, said head of emergency response Jim Gafur at the disaster management agency in Riau, the Sumatran province close to Singapore.
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