Helicopters will conduct water bombing tomorrow to tackle a stubborn 99.54-hectare peat fire in Kota Tinggi, as ground crews continue battling the blaze that has forced 150 people to evacuate.
KOTA TINGGI: Helicopters will be deployed tomorrow for water bombing to accelerate efforts to extinguish a deep-seated peat fire in Pengerang.
The fire, which began on Friday, has affected 99.54 hectares of land along Jalan Sungai Kapal and Taman Bayu Damai.
Punggai Fire and Rescue Station chief, Leading Fire Officer II Ezam Mistorerrodin, said aerial support is crucial for fighting peat fires that are difficult to access.
“Fire breaks have been dug around the affected areas for total flooding,” he said when met at the location today.
He added that tomorrow’s water bombing operations are expected to significantly speed up the extinguishing process.
A joint operation involving the Fire Department, police, and other agencies had put out fires across 28.33 hectares, or 28% of the affected area, by noon today.
Ground firefighting efforts will continue until midnight, with aerial water bombing scheduled to begin at 9 am tomorrow, weather permitting.
The number of evacuees housed at two relief centres has risen to 150 people from 49 families as of 4 pm today.
Thick white smoke blanketed the area, causing breathing difficulties and reducing visibility to approximately 150 metres.
Firefighters from the Punggai and Sungai Rengit stations, along with Civil Defence Force personnel, were also seen combating flames around Jalan Langkah Baik 3.
