4 killed in Indonesia forest fires

Police in the Indonesian part of Borneo island have arrested more than a dozen people suspected of starting forest fires that have killed four people in the past month.

West Kalimantan police chief Didi Haryono said Tuesday that two of the 27 people wanted by police died in blazes they started to clear land for planting. He said 14 people have been arrested so far.

Officials say health damaging haze has diminished due to fire-fighting efforts.

Millions of hectares burned in Indonesia during annual dry season fires in 2015. The disaster was exacerbated by the practice of draining swampy peatland forests for industrial plantations, making them highly combustible.

The national disaster agency says four people have died in West Kalimantan's forest fires in the past month, including two suspects.

Source: AP