Indonesia lost almost 95,000 hectares of land to wildfires in July alone, nearly doubling the damage recorded over the previous six months combined, according to data the forestry ministry presented on Tuesday.

Figures from the ministry showed that 202,004 hectares (499,162 acres) had burned nationwide between January and July, up sharply from 107,465 hectares over the January-to-June period. Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni told a parliamentary hearing that by mid-August, the strength of the El Niño weather pattern had already surpassed levels seen in 2015, the last time the region experienced a strong El Niño event.

Even so, the total area burned so far this year remains below the scale of the 2015 crisis, when roughly 600,000 hectares were destroyed over a comparable stretch. The minister noted that while this year’s fire damage has already exceeded totals from 2019 and 2023, it’s tracking below 2015 levels despite similar El Niño conditions.

Authorities also announced plans to reopen Bromo National Park, a popular tourist destination on the island of Java, after bringing wildfires there under control. More than 1,100 hectares inside the park had been affected by the fires.