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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Jonathan Watts

Indonesia wildfire fuelled by El Niño razes almost 300 homes

Person silhouetted in fire-haze near trees as wildfire burns
A wildfire burns near a residential area in Banyuasin, South Sumatra, Indonesia.
Photograph: Abriansyah Liberto/Reuters

A forest fire on Indonesia’s Sumatra island fuelled by El Niño has razed nearly 300 homes, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate, an official has said, as the country battles devastating blazes and haze.

Residents first spotted the fire approaching their village in Bangka Belitung province on Saturday and tried to put it out themselves with portable water pumps, said the head of South Bangka regency, Riza Herdavid.

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