PALANGKARAYA (Indonesia) — Residents and firefighters in an Indonesian city long shrouded in a toxic haze brought on by months of wildfires rushed outside dancing and chanting as rain this week brought a welcome respite.

Intermittent rains have been falling in Palangkaraya, the capital of Central Kalimantan province on Indonesian Borneo, where devastating wildfires have raged since August.

Last night, exhausted volunteer firefighters jumped around in the puddles and kissed the ground in gratitude as another burst came down.

“We were overjoyed; every one of us volunteers was so happy that we prostrated ourselves in gratitude. Praise be to God that there was finally rain,” firefighter Lukman El Hakim told AFP.

More than 11,000 people have been treated for respiratory infections in Palangkaraya during the months-long crisis that has also affected Indonesia’s neighbours with haze pollution.

The city’s air quality index hit 4,000 this month, its worst ever measurement and more than 13 times the environment ministry’s threshold for pollution deemed “hazardous” to health.

The World Health Organisation has linked exposure to air pollution, including high levels of tiny, airborne PM2.5 particles, to increased risk of illness and premature death.

Palangkaraya resident Muhammad Jihan Alwi used the reprieve to jog outdoors for the first time in months.

“Of course I’m happy to be out jogging again, breathing in fresh air that’s better than yesterday, just feeling grateful,” the 23-year-old said, smiling.