Jakarta, July 22 -- Extreme heat was a key factor behind the recent forest and land fires in Riau province, according to Indonesia's Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni.

He explained that the heat, recorded by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), was intensified by Typhoon Wipha in the Philippines.

"Over the past 10 days, we've experienced extreme heat, and on top of that, Typhoon Wipha struck the Philippines, making cloud formation difficult and drying out the air - conditions that are highly flammable," Antoni said in a statement on Tuesday.

He urged residents in Riau to avoid land clearing or vegetation burning until at least July 28.

"BMKG data shows that from July 22 to 28, upper soil layers will be espe...