Haze Guide Why peat fires make such dense haze
Peat is partly decayed plant matter stored in waterlogged soil. Once drained it can burn and smoulder underground for weeks, releasing far more smoke per fire than ordinary vegetation fires and making it hard to extinguish.
Live data (Singapore's point of view)
- Wind at ~1.5 km
- from the S, 10 km/h
- Latest satellite pass
- 2026-10-10 18:15 UTC
'Upwind' is a wind-direction heuristic: it says transport is likely, not proven, and is not a smoke-trajectory model.
See the source data
- Open the haze map (PM2.5, fires, wind)
- NASA FIRMS active-fire detections (VIIRS) — original site · API
- ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) — original site
What makes it different
Smouldering combustion is incomplete, so it produces more fine particles per unit of fuel burned than flaming fires.
Fires can continue below the surface and re-emerge, so fire crews often need water on the ground rather than only water-bombing from the air.
What satellites can and cannot show
Satellites detect heat, so smouldering peat fires beneath thick smoke or cloud may be under-counted.
Related questions
Other causes
Fires in central Sumatra (Riau and Jambi) and Singapore's haze · Fires in South Sumatra and Singapore's haze · Fires in Kalimantan and Singapore's haze · How wind carries smoke to Singapore · Dry weather and El Niño · Does rain clear haze? What showers can and cannot do
Sources
- NASA FIRMS active-fire detections (VIIRS) — NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) · official site · API / docs
- ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) — ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre, hosted by the Meteorological Service Singapore · official site