Worsening forest fires in some areas of Riau province has reduced visibility to about 50 metres, an analyst from local Meteorology Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Ardhitama said today.

The latest statistics showed hotspots in Riau increased 150 times since Feb 23  from 64 to 1,234, Indonesian news agency Aantara reports Ardhitama as saying.

Pelalawan district suffered the most with visibility reaching 50 metres, while the capital city of Riau province, Pekanbaru, reported visibility of below 500 metres.

Meanwhile, head of the Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) at Bengkalis district, Muhammad Jalal, said four houses and half of a school building in Bukit Batu subdistrict were burnt down in a forest fire.

“About 87 families had to be evacuated due to the forest fire near their homes,” he said.

- Bernama