Dry Weather Fire Burns Down Nearly 300 Houses in Indonesia

Nearly 300 houses burned in Bangka Belitung, Sumatra, forcing about 1,000 people to flee. South Bangka chief Riza Herdavid said wind blew a slow-burning fire in dry plant-packed soil into the village after residents with portable pumps failed to stop it. Dry El Niño weather worsened it. The village sat on that soil in a protected area.