JAKARTA, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Forest and land fires in Indonesia's Bangka Belitung province have spread into a densely populated residential area, the local disaster mitigation agency said on Monday, damaging at least 300 houses and forcing the evacuation of 500 people.
• The fire began on Saturday afternoon in Serdang village in the region of South Bangka, and continued until late on Sunday, the agency said in a statement
• Indonesia is battling its most intense wildfires in 11 years, mainly on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo
• This is the first time this year that wildfires have caused damage to hundreds of houses
• Strong winds enabled the fire to spread into the residential areas, where 305 houses were completely destroyed, the agency said
• At least 1,800 people were affected by the fire, and around 500 people were evacuated to the nearest school building and mosque, the agency said, adding that no casualties have been reported
• The blaze had burned 8.3 hectares (20.51 acres) of land
• Strong winds, peatland terrain, limited water supplies and the use of wood to construct houses in the affected settlements had made it more difficult for firefighters to contain the fires, the agency said
• The agency has also set up evacuation tents and a public kitchen, and has distributed food, water and clothing
• From January through July this year, fires scorched around 202,000 hectares (499,153 acres) across Indonesia
• Non-governmental organisations estimate that an additional 600,000 hectares or more may have been burned in the months that followed
(Reporting by Ananda Teresia; Editing by David Stanway)
