Firefighters in Pahang have contained major peat and plantation fires, with aerial water bombing requested to tackle remaining hotspots in hard-to-reach areas
KUANTAN: Firefighters have successfully extinguished a blaze covering over 173 hectares of peat forest in Pekan. The fire in Kampung Tanjung Batu, Nenasi, began on Monday.
Pahang Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) deputy director of Operations and Rescue, Mohd Salahuddin Isa, said approximately 760 hectares of the 2,000-hectare area have been affected so far. Firefighting efforts are now focused on the remaining 586 hectares.
“One of the main challenges we face is restricted access to the fire sites, which hampers the movement of our equipment,” he said. In a separate incident, crews have also brought under control more than 18 hectares of a fire in a 292-hectare palm oil plantation in Kampung Jemeri, Kuala Rompin.
That plantation fire started on March 23. To accelerate operations, aerial support has been requested for both locations.
“We plan to use helicopter water bombing for both the Rompin and Pekan fires to speed up operations, and the request for aircraft has already been submitted,” Mohd Salahuddin added. The department also recorded 110 open-burning cases across the state between March 18 and yesterday.
Kuantan and Pekan recorded the highest number of incidents. Yesterday marked the peak with 22 cases reported within 24 hours.
Most involved scrubland near residential areas and along road edges.