"The figures may continue to increase as data collection is still ongoing," BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho stated here on Friday.
He pointed out that several fires in numerous locations had yet to be extinguished and were still to be accounted for.
He revealed that some of the burnt forest and land areas belonged to community members while others belonged to corporations, conservation agencies, national parks, and others.
He noted that until October, 32 percent of the fires were detected in non-commercial forest areas.
"The other twenty percent are in industrial forests, 20 percent in palm oil plantations, 23 percent in areas for other purposes, and five percent in other areas," he remarked.
Based on data from the National Space and Aviation Institute (LAPAN), the biggest forest and land fires were found in Sumatra, reaching 832,999 hectares.
Fires in Kalimantan covered around 806,817 hectares, while 353,191 hectares were detected in Papua.
Nugroho said the government is still making ongoing efforts to put out the fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan.
Shelters have also been set up in several regions to accommodate the people affected by haze, he added.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2015
