Indonesia rules out evacuations in forest fire areas

The drought 2015 has exacerbated forest fires across Indonesia, with 1409 hot spots detected in Sumatra and Kalimantan as of September 14, according to the National Disaster Management Agency. Research by scientists at the Indonesia-based Centre for International Forestry Research found the main cause of the annual fires in Riau came from dried and deforested peatlands. The slash-and-burn technique of land clearing used by palm oil and timber plantations are also commonly blamed for starting the fires.