PETALING JAYA: Hotspots in Riau, Sumatra, have shot up to 175. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite images yesterday showed a massive increase in the number of hotspots detected from last Thursday.

On Thursday, NOAA satellites detected between 25 and 50 hotspots in Sumatra and between five and 37 in Kalimantan, Sabah and Sarawak. Most of the hotspots detected on Saturday are in the region of Riau. The regions of Riau and Jambi were the main areas that contributed to the haze in Malaysia earlier this year.

Department of Environment air division director Che Asmah Ibrahim said it was too early to draw a conclusion that the haze would be back.

“We are monitoring the situation. Our air quality is between good to moderate at this point in time,” she said.

Meanwhile, fires were spotted by The Star in oil palm plantations adjacent to the Raja Musa Peat Swamp Forest Reserve in Hulu Selangor.

The fires had burnt out several areas of the Ladang Parit 8 to 10 oil palm plantations. Smoke from the peat fire could be seen billowing from the underground fire that is almost a metre deep.

Global Environment Centre director Faizal Parish, who was on site, said the fires could have spread because the peat soil in the plantation was dry.

“The water in the peat soil is constantly drained, leaving it susceptible to fire,” he said, pointing to the drains around the plantations that are used to drain the peat of water. A plantation worker, who declined to be named, said the fire had been burning for more than four days and had spread to nearby plantations.