Mapping Indonesia's Man-Made Forest Fires in Real Time

While flames engulf parts of the West Coast in the U.S., fires are also raging in Southeast Asia. In Indonesia in particular, forest fires illegally set by private companies to make way for plantations have reached crisis levels. Many use a “slash-and-burn” technique, in which trees are cut and burned to clear land for cultivation. What often results are forest fires that lead to a toxic haze that hangs over cities and even neighboring countries.

On Friday, Singapore shut down schools and suspended outdoor activities after the city-state’s Pollution Standards Index readings peaked to 341 on Thursday. Any reading above 300 is considered hazardous to public health. That’s the highest level of air pollution seen there this year, but it’s nothing that Singapore and its neighbors haven’t experienced before.