Drastic drop in bush and peat fires, thanks to rain

PETALING JAYA: Bush and peat fires nationwide have dropped drastically, by about 90%, following rain in the last two days.

Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Wan Mohd Nor Ibrahim said the department received reports of about only 10% of these fires yesterday compared to the daily average of about 445 this month.

“In the last 17 days, we recorded 7,569 fires nationwide but the number has fallen in the last two days.

“On Sunday, we responded to 286 of fires, while yesterday we only had to deal with 44,” he told The Star.

Wan Mohd Nor said that with more rain expected, bush and peat fires would drop.

“Between 8am on Sunday and 8am yesterday, Sarawak recorded the highest number of bush, peat and open fires with 16, followed by Sabah with 10.

“We responded to nine fires in Johor and five in Selangor, while Kedah, Penang, Perak and Tereng-ganu recorded one fire each,” he said.

Wan Mohd Nor said his men were still combating ongoing fires in Terengganu, Perak, Pahang and Selangor.

On the use of biodegradable chemicals to douse the flames, he said the department needed more mixers to process the chemicals before they could be used on a larger scale.

“We have already used the chemicals to help put out fires in Pekan, Pahang, and Busut Baru in Selangor and it looks promising,” he said.