Full Mobilization Ordered to Fight Fires

Indonesia stepped up efforts to combat forest fires that have spewed smoke over much of Southeast Asia, causing the region’s worst air pollution in history. Indonesian President Suharto ordered a full mobilization of government officials and has deployed more than 8,000 firefighters to battle the blazes, many of which were set to clear land. In Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, about 50 firefighters showered part of the city in a mist to try to clear the air. In Manila, the Philippine health department told people to stay indoors. And a wildlife researcher warned that the smoke and fires threaten the already dwindling population of orangutans in Indonesia. The red-haired apes live in the jungles of Borneo and Sumatra, two of the worst-hit islands.