Fire Approaches 800 Meters from Maros-Pangkep Cave

The forest and land fires that swept Indonesia in October 2026 are now threatening the world's oldest human heritage. In South Sulawesi, smoke billows over the Maros-Pangkep karst landscape, an area that holds the oldest prehistoric cave paintings ever discovered.

A Reuters report on October 23, 2026 said fires burned near one of the caves in Maros-Pangkep for more than a week earlier that month. Firefighter Muhammad Ikfar said the flames came within 800 meters of the cave as crews battled the blaze amid smoke blanketing the area.

67,800-Year-Old and 51,200-Year-Old Paintings

Two dates make this threat extraordinary. A reddish handprint in a cave on Muna Island, off the coast of Sulawesi, is estimated to be at least 67,800 years old. Meanwhile, a painting depicting a human-like figure interacting with a pig in Maros-Pangkep is estimated to be at least 51,200 years old.

Both dates come from research by Griffith University, Australia. That age places Sulawesi's cave art as the oldest in the world, far older than many famous cave paintings in Europe, so its damage would be an irreparable loss.

Heat and Soot, the Invisible Threat

The greatest danger is not actually the fire directly touching the cave walls. Griffith University archaeologist Basran Burhan explains that heat is the first and most damaging effect because it changes the temperature around the paintings and accelerates the corrosion process.

Smoke from the fires also left soot covering the surface of the paintings. That layer made the ancient images blurry and difficult to recognize, even though it is precisely those image details that archaeologists study to understand human life tens of thousands of years ago.

Worst Forest Fires Since 2015

Indonesia is said to be facing its most intense forest and land fires since 2015, triggered by a severe El Nino that raised temperatures and reduced rainfall, making forests and peatlands highly flammable. Sumatra and Kalimantan are the worst-affected regions, but fires have also spread to Sulawesi, including a cave area in South Sulawesi.

Officer data states that more than 270 hectares of national park area around Maros-Pangkep burned from 30 September to 18 October 2026. The area is both a national park and a UNESCO Global Geopark, underscoring the global significance of that karst landscape.