The northern districts of Miri and Kuala Baram have been the worst affected, accounting for nearly 300 cases.
MIRI: Wildfires and forest blazes continue to ravage Sarawak for a fourth consecutive week, with vast areas of forested land and peat swamps still ablaze. State authorities have identified deliberate open burning by individuals as a primary catalyst for the crisis.
According to statistics provided by the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department, units have responded to more than 500 reported wildfire incidents across the state since the onset of the dry spell over a month ago.
The northern districts of Miri and Kuala Baram have been the worst affected, accounting for nearly 300 cases.
The Sarawak Department of Environment (DOE), Miri Divisional Disaster Management Committee Chairman Galong Luang and the Miri Fire and Rescue Department have issued separate statements condemning the use of fire for agricultural clearing and waste disposal.
The state DOE warned that offenders caught engaging in open burning face a maximum fine of RM1 million and up to five years’ imprisonment under the amended Environmental Quality Act 2024.
“Identified activities include the burning of large-scale agricultural waste, land clearing, disposal of construction debris, and illegal rubbish fires in landfills. These activities are causing severe land degradation and posing a significant threat to public health through air pollution and haze,” the DOE said.
In Miri, Galong confirmed that wildfires are being reported daily. Firefighters from stations in Miri city, Lutong and Lopeng are currently battling hotspots that have been burning relentlessly day and night.
“All enforcement agencies, alongside the Sarawak Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB), are intensifying ground patrols,” Galong said.
He urged the public to cooperate by reporting any fire sightings to the police or fire stations immediately.
The Miri Fire and Rescue Department stated that their latest ground reports show scattered hotspots, each covering two to three acres, in populated zones such as Kampung Batu Satu and Tudan.
“Our teams are battling the fires non-stop. Aerial water-bombing will be deployed if these blazes cannot be contained on the ground,” the department warned.
The fire crisis intensified significantly on March 25, when large-scale forest fires were reported across three districts. Since then, the blazes have spread to 11 districts, causing extensive environmental damage. The worst-hit areas include Miri, Kuala Baram, Tatau, Sibu, Bintulu and Mukah.
Late last month, a massive forest fire in the Kuala Tatau-Serupai locality saw approximately 750 acres of forest burn for 11 days. Minister in the Sarawak Premier’s Office Datuk Seri John Sikie Tayai described the Tatau incident as a stark warning of how uncontrollable these fires can become.
