# Hotspots, peat fires and palm oil

> Malaysia offers firefighting aid to Indonesia as haze returns.
- Title: Hotspots, peat fires and palm oil · Malay Mail | Shortify
- Summary: Malaysia offers firefighting aid to Indonesia as haze returns. Malaysia provided aircraft and personnel to Indonesia to combat transboundary haze caused by…
- Keywords: malaysia, indonesia, haze, peat fires, palm oil, mpos, transboundary haze, firefighting, news, world, Hotspots, peat
- Source: Malay Mail — https://malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/09/20/hotspots-peat-fires-and-palm-oil-why-tracing-malaysias-haze-is-so-complicated/235845
- Published: 2026-09-20T21:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: malaysia, indonesia, haze, peat fires, palm oil, mpos, transboundary haze, firefighting, news, world
## Haze returns to Malaysia
Malaysia’s return of haze brings forest and land fires into focus as smoke spreads across the region.
## Malaysia offers firefighting aid
Malaysia offered Bombardier CL-415MP aircraft, three helicopters, and 52 officers and personnel to Indonesia to combat transboundary haze.
## Indonesian vice-president receives aid offer
Indonesian vice-president Gibran Rakabuming Raka received Malaysia’s firefighting assistance offer during his four-day working visit to Indonesia.
## Air quality readings show unhealthy levels
Thirty-two areas recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index readings, with Johan Setia in Selangor at 183.
## Sarawak affected by haze
Sarawak recorded the highest number of affected areas, with Kuching at 174 and Samarahan at 167.
## Palm oil industry not primary cause
Malaysian Palm Oil Board said regional forest and peat fires cannot be attributed primarily to oil-palm cultivation.
## Human land-clearing drives fires
Human land-clearing activities remain a major driver of fires, with El Niño amplifying their spread.
## Peat fires burn underground
Peat fires can continue smouldering underground and reignite even after surface fires appear controlled.
## El Niño acts as environmental amplifier
El Niño and prolonged dry weather act as environmental amplifiers, not the spark for wildfires.
## Palm oil industry has zero burning
Malaysian oil palm industry has zero burning through mandatory Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil Certification Scheme since January 2020.
## Satellite hotspots not proof of fire
Satellite hotspots indicate possible fires but not proof of open burning or evidence of who started them.
## Haze problem requires prevention
Prevention, land management, early detection, and cross-border cooperation are essential to solving the haze problem.
## Key takeaway

Malaysia provided aircraft and personnel to Indonesia to combat transboundary haze caused by forest and land fires.