Abstract In several regions, land and forest fires of Indonesia occurred almost annually during the drought season. The severity of Indonesia's drought season is mainly influenced by the Australian Monsoon, local cloud formation controlled by Sea Surface Temperature (SST) around Indonesia. Moreover, it affects the severity of land and forest fires itself indirectly. This research aims to examine the association of the Australian Monsoon and local SST with land and forest fires in Indonesia. This research uses the Australian Monsoon Index (AUSMI) as an indicator for the Australian Monsoon and SST in the Karimata Strait and the Java Sea as indicators of local SST. An indicator of land and forest fires that will be used is the number of hotspots. A heterogeneous Correlation Map (HCM) is used to describe hotspots associated with AUSMI and local SST. The analysis shows that the east wind pattern of AUSMI associated with hotspots in Indonesia, especially in years when zonal winds enter an upward phase more slowly. Karimata Strait’s SST is associate with hotspots in the coastal part of Riau. Meanwhile, Java Sea’s SST is associate with hotspots in Lampung, South Sumatra, Jambi, and Kalimantan.