JAKARTA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Forest fire in Indonesia has expanded to another main island of Sulawesi in eastern parts of the country as satellite observation detects hundreds of hot spot there, disaster management agency official said here on Monday.
The expansion takes place as Indonesia, under foreign help, is scrambling to douse the blaze in the two main Islands of Sumtra and Borneo in western and central parts of the country.
Terra Aqua Satellite detected 801 hot spots in the Sulawesi Island earlier Monday, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of national disaster management agency disclosed.
The satellite also recorded 224 hot spots in Papua, easternmost of the country, and Maluku Island, in eastern parts of Indonesia, and East and West Nusa Tenggara of central parts of the country, Mr. Sutopo told Xinhua via phone.
Burning during land clearing for new plantation is blamed for the fire in Sulawesi Island, he said.
For the whole country, the satellite detected at least 1,545 hot spots, including in Sumatra Island and Borneo Island, Sutopo said.
The Indonesian government has launched the biggest operation ever to combat the regular forest fires on peat land in Sumatra Island and Borneo Island, involving 32 aircraft and more than 22 soldiers and police along with the aids from neighboring ASEAN countries, as well as Australia and Japan.
Indonesia, home to the world's largest palm oil industry, has endured forest fires as people burned land during land clearing for new plantation.
The country has been battered by forest fires since the 1990s, for this year it is exacerbated by El Nino phenomenon.
