Firefighters in Dungun are battling a 20-hectare peat swamp fire, focusing on buffer zones to protect nearby forest reserves and homes from the spreading flames
DUNGUN: Firefighters are concentrating on creating buffer zones between a forest reserve and residential areas to control a major peat swamp fire. The blaze, covering 20 hectares near Kampung Rhu Batil, Kuala Abang, began last Saturday.
Dungun Fire and Rescue Station chief Deputy Fire Superintendent II Yahaya Hanafi said the strategy aims to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby communities. He confirmed that 11 hectares of the total affected area have so far been successfully extinguished.
A total of 26 personnel are involved in the arduous operation. The team includes members from the Fire and Rescue Department, the Malaysia Volunteers Corps Department (RELA), and the Civil Defence Force (APM).
Yahaya stated that firefighting efforts are being severely hindered by limited access and insufficient water sources at the remote site. Personnel are sourcing water from nearby ditches and disused mines to combat the flames.
“Our personnel also had to dig a well at the site to secure an adequate water supply,” he told reporters. The current hot and dry weather is causing the fire to spread rapidly across the peatland.
Yahaya warned that the operation is expected to continue for another week. Peat swamp fires are notoriously difficult to fully extinguish due to persistent underground embers that can reignite.
The fire is believed to have originated from uncontrolled open burning activity near the forest. Authorities continue to work around the clock to bring the situation under full control.
