Forest fires leave 48 hot spots in Sumatra

Antara 23 Jan 08;

Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) said recent forest fires in Sumatra Island had left at least 48 hot spots, 35 of which were located in Riau province.

Johanes Sudrajat, head of the BMG`s analysis section, said here on Wednesday the hot spots were detected by the "NOAA 18" satellite on Tuesday (Jan 22).

Of the 35 hot spots, three were to be found in Rokan Hilir district, three in Dumai city, 11 in Bengkalis district, eight in Siak district, seven in Palelewan district and another three in Indragiri Hilir district.

In addition to the 35 hot spots, 13 hot spots had been discovered in the provinces of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD), North Sumatra and West Sumatra, Johanes said, adding that a week ago, the BMG had only noted 23 hot spots.

In the meantime, the Forestry Ministry was reported intending to soon use a Russian-made Kamov Ka-32A holicopter in efforts to overcome forest fires raging in West Kalimantan.(*)