Indonesia has accepted Malaysian assistance — three helicopters, one aircraft and 52 personnel — to help battle weeks-long forest and land fires in Kalimantan. President Prabowo Subianto welcomed the offer after meeting Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. The blazes, the worst in 11 years, could continue until November and have produced haze that is affecting air quality in Malaysia and Singapore.
Malaysia to Send Helicopters and Crews to Help Indonesia Battle Worst Wildfires in a Decade
FILE PHOTO: A staff member of the Regional Disaster Agency (BPBD) uses a hose to extinguish a fire in a peatland area burnt by wildfires, in Kubu Raya, West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, September 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/ File Photo
JAKARTA — Indonesia will accept assistance from Malaysia to help contain weeks-long forest and land fires, President Prabowo Subianto said on Friday. The offer follows talks with Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who visited the president at his home on the outskirts of Jakarta.
What Malaysia Is Sending
Malaysia has offered three helicopters, one fixed-wing aircraft and a team of 52 personnel to support firefighting efforts in Kalimantan, Prabowo said. He welcomed the assistance "with gratitude and pleasure," but did not provide a precise arrival timetable beyond saying the assets and teams are expected to arrive soon.
Scale of the Crisis
Indonesia is facing its most severe wildfires in 11 years. Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni warned that the blazes could persist until November, prolonging emergency operations and recovery work.
Regional Impact
Transboundary haze from the fires has degraded air quality in neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore, prompting regional concern and cooperation. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he planned to raise the issue during his working visit to Jakarta from Sept. 17 to Sept. 20.
"Malaysia has offered assistance to help us address the forest fires in Kalimantan. I welcome this with gratitude and pleasure," — President Prabowo Subianto
This international assistance complements Indonesia's domestic firefighting efforts as authorities work to contain hotspots and reduce haze that threatens public health and regional air quality. (Reporting by Ananda Teresia and Stefanno Sulaiman; edited by Xevi Fontdegloria)
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