Indonesia Fires: The Volunteer Firefighters Risking Their Lives to Defuse 'Carbon Bombs'

Indonesia fires: The volunteer firefighters risking their lives to defuse 'carbon bombs'

Peat fires in Borneo are releasing ancient stores of carbon - and sending a toxic smog across South East Asia.

Meet the Volunteers Risking Their Lives to Defuse Indonesia’s Underground “Carbon Bombs”

Beneath the forests of Borneo lies a smoldering threat that few people ever see: vast deposits of peat, formed over thousands of years, now burning underground and releasing ancient stores of carbon into the atmosphere. These fires don’t behave like typical wildfires. They creep silently beneath the surface, sometimes for months, making them notoriously difficult […] The post Meet the Volunteers Risking Their Lives to Defuse Indonesia’s Undergro…

The volunteers risking their lives to defuse Indonesia's wildfire 'carbon bombs'

The sky grows heavy in Borneo, though not with rain. The air, amber-hued and treacle-thick, is smudged under a blanket of smog that has spilled across international borders – to Singapore, Manila, Kuala Lumpur. Down on the ground, smoke steams from the soil. It's like tear gas, says Dwi…