JAKARTA, Oct 18 — Dozens of critically endangered orangutans have been rescued in recent weeks from rampant wildfires burning across Indonesia, conservation groups said.

The fires have triggered a months-long pollution spell that has closed schools, fuelled a surge in respiratory conditions both among humans and animals, and restricted outdoor activities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and East Timor.

Pollution levels again ranged from unhealthy to very unhealthy across the region today, cloaking many areas across southern Southeast Asia in toxic haze.

Swiss-based air quality monitor IQAir again ranked Singapore and Kuala Lumpur among the world’s top five most polluted major cities as fires on Borneo and Sumatra islands, intensified by a turbo-charged El Niño weather phenomenon, keep emitting smoke.