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Riau braces itself for more forest fires as rainy season nears end
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The aftermath of a forest fire in Bengkalis regency in 2019. Since January, fires have scorched 59.38ha of land across 10 of Riau’s 12 regencies and cities, with Bengkalis regency and Pekanbaru the worst affected.
PHOTO: ST FILE
JAKARTA - Riau is preparing for a higher risk of land and forest fires as the rainy season nears its end, while nearly 60ha have already caught fire across much of the province since the start of 2026, officials said.
Mr M. Edy Afrizal, head of Riau’s disaster mitigation and firefighting agency, said Riau saw 13 relatively large fires in six regencies in the past week alone, including the provincial capital Pekanbaru.
