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THE prolonged hot weather in Penang triggered a forest fire recently when around five hectares of greenery at the Penang Botanic Gardens along Jalan Kebun Bunga, were destroyed.
It took firefighters and officers from the Penang Island City Council and the Civil Defence Department some eight hours to contain the fire after it was first spotted around 5 pm.
Penang Fire and Rescue Department assistant operations director John Sagun Francis said his department received a distress call at 6.24 pm before dispatching a team from the Jalan Perak and Paya Terubong fire and rescue stations, along with five fire engines, to the scene.
"We arrived at the location and found a forest fire involving an estimated area of five hectares. The operations commander conducted a size-up at the scene before firefighting works were carried out," he said.
The operation involved 19 personnel, with assistance from the New Ferry, Paya Terubong and Bukit Bendera volunteer fire brigades, as well as support from the police and Rela.
He said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Kebun Bunga assemblyperson Lee Boon Heng was at the scene together with the northeast district officer Ismasuhaimi Shariff and Penang Hill Corporation general manager Datuk Cheok Lay Leng.
Lee said that the situation is now under control and urged the public, including hikers, to be extra careful due to the hot spell in the state.
The meteorological department's forecast sees no predominant rain in Penang except for isolated downpours till Sunday. – February 5, 2026