Wildfires in Indonesia are threatening an orangutan research site in Borneo and sending haze that has reached southern Thailand.

The Guardian, Bangkok Post, Reuters + 1 more · Humanitarian & Biosphere

16 Sept 20264 outlets

What it means

Wildfires in Indonesian Borneo are directly threatening the orangutan research site, one of the world's leading facilities for studying the species. The fires have also generated a pall of haze that has drifted north, affecting air quality in southern Thailand. This is part of a recurring seasonal crisis driven by land-clearing and drought, which harms both wildlife and human health across Southeast Asia.

Accuracy & sourcesGrounded

The claim rests on a Guardian article that appears to cite regional officials and scientists, and is corroborated by reports from the Bangkok Post, Reuters, and Mongabay — all reputable secondary sources covering the same events. Given the pattern of cross-confirmation, the core facts (fire proximity to the research site and haze reaching Thailand) are solid, though specific details about the extent of damage to the site rely on the Guardian's account.

How new

This reporting is genuinely new as of mid-September 2026, covering fresh developments in the ongoing fire season.

Past coverage

We previously covered the haze spread and detection of 61 hotspots near Indonesia's new capital Nusantara on 2026-09-05, and the surge of the 2026 wildfire season with haze reaching Malaysia on 2026-08-14 — this new development extends the crisis to threaten a specific research site and reach southern Thailand.