Palembang, Indonesia, 25 August 2026
Thousands of Indonesians gathered for rain prayers on Tuesday in Palembang and other affected cities as wildfires scorched forests and peatland in South Sumatra and West Kalimantan, blanketing communities in a choking haze and prompting authorities to invoke spiritual responses alongside firefighting efforts.
Residents in Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra, joined communal prayers at mosques and open-air spaces, asking for rain to help extinguish fires that have burned for weeks across the province. South Sumatra has recorded the highest number of wildfire hot spots in Indonesia, according to officials monitoring satellite data and ground reports.
The fires have consumed wide areas of forest and peatland in central and western regions of the country, releasing smoke that has drifted over urban centres. Local authorities described the haze as choking, with visibility reduced and air quality falling sharply in some districts. In some cities, daily activities ground to a halt as residents stayed indoors to avoid the worst of the pollution.