Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said it expects forest fires that have been raging through parts of Sumatra island and in Kalimantan on the Indonesian portion of Borneo island will end soon with the arrival of the rainy season. Indonesia has spent months battling forest fires, often caused by slash-and-burn farming practices, as an El Nino weather pattern intensifies the annual dry season and fires create a choking haze across the region. “Referring to a report compiled based on the latest satellite imagery and direct observations in the field, it can be concluded that the 2019 forest fires episode will soon be over,” BNPB spokesman Agus Wibowo said in a statement. Indonesia’s weather agency said, based on satellite imagery, the number of hot spots had declined by 78% in the Sept. 26-28 period. Indonesia has deployed more than 29,000 personnel to fight fires and dozens of aircraft to conduct water bombing and cloud-seeding efforts to trigger rain.