Schools remain closed as Indonesia battles wildfires
Wildfire flames and smoke rise above a forest in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park near Mount Bromo in Probolinggo, East Java province. (AFP Photo)
Dozens of Indonesian schools were shuttered for a second day on Aug. 11 against the spreading haze of wildfires plaguing the archipelago at the start of a long and intense dry season worsened by El Nino.
In West Kalimantan on the island of Borneo that Indonesia shares with Malaysia and Brunei, the mayor of Pontianak ordered schools closed due to the smoke wafting over the city from fires elsewhere.
Public records show Pontianak has tens of thousands of public school pupils.
