Indonesia is facing a major emergency. Massive forest fires are burning across the country, and the situation is getting worse.

Data shows that these fires are now releasing more carbon emissions than anywhere else in the world. These fires are being supercharged by El Niño, a weather pattern that brings hot, dry conditions. This makes it very easy for the fires to spread quickly.

The human cost is high. The thick smoke, or haze, is causing serious health problems. The government says that the number of people getting respiratory infections—illnesses that make it hard to breathe—has doubled in just one week.

Because the air is so hard to breathe, many schools have been forced to close their doors to keep children safe. It is a dangerous situation that reminds many of past wildfires that destroyed huge parts of the country’s land.

Right now, brave volunteers are working on the ground. They are risking their lives to fight what experts call "carbon bombs." These are areas where the soil stores massive amounts of carbon, and when they burn, they send huge amounts of pollution into the air.

Officials are working to get the fires under control, but the combination of dry weather and widespread blazes makes it a very difficult battle.

Source: Reuters