Hot Blaze
Fire rages across a farm field in Pulang Pisau District on the island of Borneo in Indonesia. In the dry season, farmers often start such fires to burn away dead plants, but they can get out of control.
Photos: Indonesia’s Rampant Fires Threaten Rare Orangutans
The worst fire season since 1997 has destroyed orangutans’ habitat and made them more vulnerable to poachers.
Indonesia’s endangered orangutans are fighting for survival as wildfires destroy forests and send dangerous heat and smoke across the country.
Spurred by drought and the effects of El Niño, Indonesia is suffering through its worst fire season since 1997. At least 19 people have died and half a million have been sickened by poor air quality as a result of thousands of blazes. More than 8,000 square miles of forest have burned; that’s larger than the state of New Jersey.
The fires are also taking an environmental toll, emitting more carbon dioxide each day than the entire U.S. economy.
National Geographic photographer Tim Laman recently spent 10 days documenting the impact of fires on local people and the iconic orangutans
