Smoke from fires in Indonesia is choking Singapore and Malaysia. Singapore's 24-hour air quality index, the PSI, reached 192 in the central region on Friday evening, The Straits Times reported. That is the highest reading since haze returned in September.

Air eased a little overnight but stayed unhealthy across the island on Saturday. At 3 p.m., readings ran from 121 in the north to 171 in the center. A PSI of 101 to 200 is unhealthy. Above 200 is very unhealthy.

Grace Fu, Singapore's environment minister, said Saturday the level could still pass 200. "We are concerned about the well-being of our people," she said, CNA reported. She offered to help Indonesia fight the fires.

Officials have a plan if that line is crossed. N95 masks would go to vulnerable people, and haze shelters would open. Preschools would stop outdoor play. The Education Ministry would consider closing schools only if the PSI is forecast to top 300.

Malaysia is already closing schools. On Friday, all schools in Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya were shut, Malay Mail reported, and classes moved online. Nine monitoring stations passed 180 on the country's air index. Seremban was worst, at 189. Under the rules, schools in areas above 150 for three straight days must close from Monday.

The haze comes from fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan. Indonesia is fighting its worst forest and land fires in 11 years, fueled by a super El Niño, CNA reported. Many fires are set to clear land cheaply, the BBC reported. Indonesia's health ministry logged nearly 175,000 fire-linked breathing infections from July to September.

The smoke also hangs over this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix. Officials said there were no plans to change outdoor events.

What we know: Singapore's PSI hit a 2026 high of 192, and Malaysia shut schools in several states.
What we don't: Whether weekend showers will clear the air, or whether readings top 200.