Borneo residents seek oxygen treatment as wildfire smoke spreads

Residents of Palangkaraya, in Indonesian Borneo, were receiving oxygen and treatment for breathing problems amid months of wildfire smoke, according to reports published on October 27, 2026. Among them was Sudarsono, a construction worker and farmer who became ill after helping fight fires near homes.¹²

Illness after fighting fires

Sudarsono, 57, had gone out with three friends to tackle the fires before falling sick. He received oxygen during his evacuation to hospital and was put into an ambulance. His account describes exposure to smoke despite the protective equipment he had worn.¹²

“I wore a mask, goggles, everything, but I was surrounded by smoke,” Sudarsono said. He also expressed hope that the fires and haze would end so residents of Central Kalimantan could work and earn their living safely.²

More than 11,000 people in Palangkaraya have been treated for respiratory infections during the crisis. Across seven provinces, more than 300,000 people suffered respiratory tract infections from August to October. Local health official Riduan said people aged 17 to 59 were the group most affected by respiratory ailments.¹²

Oxygen on buses and at treatment facilities

Indonesia’s health ministry has established nearly 500 facilities across the country to provide oxygen and treatment without charge. Nearly 300 are in Central Kalimantan, among the provinces most affected by the months of fires and haze. Local authorities have also sent buses carrying oxygen tanks around Palangkaraya.¹²

Palangkaraya resident Siti Jumiati received breathing assistance on one of those buses. “Today, on this bus, I can get help breathing for free,” she said. Another resident, Alexandra Surya Habsari, 43, was treated for breathing difficulties and a headache.¹²

Assistance has also reached people fighting the fires. During firefighting efforts on October 22, a firefighter received portable oxygen assistance from a member of the Central Kalimantan Forest and Land Fire Smoke Response Coalition.¹²

Smoke exposure and the extent of the fires

Wildfire smog contains formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia and fine particles known as PM2.5. These particles can enter the lungs or bloodstream. The World Health Organization has linked exposure to PM2.5 with increased illness and death.¹²

Deforestation monitor Nusantara Atlas estimates that fires consumed more than 1.9 million hectares during the nine months to September. The Indonesian government has neither confirmed nor disputed that estimate. Indonesia has been struggling for months to contain the fires and haze, with smoke pollution also affecting neighbouring countries.¹²