Wildfires are ripping across parts of Indonesia, destroying peatland and smothering the country in a toxic smoke so thick, people are struggling to breathe.

For three exhausting months, Andri Susanto and his crew have been fighting raging fires on the island of Borneo — and blazes are taking a toll across the region.

Blamed partly on one of the worst episodes of the drought-inducing El Nino weather phenomenon in decades, the disaster threatens millions of people's access to necessities such as…