Indonesia’s 2026 fire season is escalating as severe drought and El Niño dry out tropical peatlands. Unlike typical wildfires, the country's most dangerous blazes smolder beneath the soil, creating a persistent environmental and health crisis, according to the NASA Earth Observatory.
Why Underground Fires Are So Dangerous
Peatlands are waterlogged wetlands storing thick layers of organic matter. When severe drought dries them out, the soil becomes fuel.
- Hard to Extinguish: Underground fires burn slowly at low temperatures, creeping beneath the surface for months until seasonal rains arrive.
- Toxic Smoke: Peat blazes release three times as much fine particulate matter as forest fires, alongside elevated levels of sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and methane.
- Severe Haze: Thick smoke regularly forces school closures, delays flights, and triggers health alerts across Southeast Asia.
Driven by El Niño and Past Drainage
By early August 2026, drought left nearly 90% of Indonesia with minimal rainfall. The situation is aggravated by decades of land clearing: 1990s drainage canals built for agriculture permanently lowered water tables, making wetlands far more combustible.
The Satellite Blind Spot
Satellites tracking heat anomalies often miss peat blazes because the thick smoke produced by the fires blocks the space sensors' views. Scientists are now deploying shortwave infrared sensors on satellites like Landsat and Sentinel-2 to detect hidden burns through smoke and tree canopies.
With emissions already reaching 10% of 2015's catastrophic levels early in the season, experts view 2026 as a major test for regional fire prevention and wetland restoration efforts.
