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preading wildfires in Jambi have reportedly almost reached the province’s three major national parks: Bukit Tiga Puluh, Kerinci Seblat and Sembilang.

Based on satellite reports compiled by the US National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there are currently three hotspots in Bukit Tiga Puluh in West Tanjung Jabung regency, one hotspot in Kerinci Seblat in Merangin regency and another hotspot in Sembilang in Muarojambi regency.

Nukman, the head of administration of Bukit Tiga Puluh National Park, said that wildfires near the park were first reported by local residents on plantations bordering the park.

“It’s been going on for a week and the fires are heading toward the park,” Nukman said, attributing the quick spread of the fires to highly flammable peat soil.

The fires had already destroyed more than 100 hectares of land in and around West Tanjung Jabung, Nukman said.

There were 44 hotspots detected across the Jambi on Thursday, according to reports.

Firefighters from the Jambi Fire Agency have been working to extinguish the blazes to no avail.

Haze still shrouds some spots, especially in Remau village and Sungai Sayang village in East Tanjung Jabung Timur regency.

Samsiran Halim, the head of the East Tanjung Jabung Health Agency, said that officials have prepared a special medical team to anticipate any worst-case scenarios resulting from spreading wildfires.

He said that the haze might cause local residents to suffer from acute respiratory infections (ISPA).

“So far, we haven’t received any reports on patients with ISPAs. We can only hope that the fires will stop,” Samsiran said.

He encouraged residents to immediately visit their local public healthcare centers (puskesmas) if they developed any symptoms of an acute respiratory infection.

Wildfires have continued to be a major problem for provinces in Sumatra and Kalimantan during the dry season.

In nearby Lampung, for example, fires have reportedly spread to the Way Kambas National Park.

In South Sumatra, more than 50 hot spots have been reported over the last few days, while in Central Kalimantan, at least 49 hot spots were also detected.