Island JAMBI, Indonesia, July 18, SPA -- Firefighters battled dozens of land-clearing blazes in western Indonesia on Wednesday, officials said, as thick clouds of choking haze spread across parts of the region. Donny Osmon, the head of the local firefighting agency,said farmers and agricultural companies began setting thefires on Sumatra island on Sunday, at the start of the dryseason, to clear brush and peat land, the Associated Press reported. Police were investigating, he said, amid fears the blazeswould spread. So far 37 hotspots have been detected but the number is expected to reach the hundreds within the next few weeks.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/468421