State dept freezes all leave for firefighters

KOTA KINABALU: The leave of 900 firefighters in Sabah has been frozen in light of the spike in open burning throughout the state due to the ongoing dry weather.

The number of open burning incidents – including forest and bush fires – had jumped from 188 in January to 431 between Feb 1 and Feb 24, said state Fire and Rescue Services Department director Nordin Pauzi.

According to the department’s statistics, the highest number of calls on open burning were in the west coast Papar and interior Keningau districts totalling 66 and 65 respectively in February.

The department also responded to 41 calls on open burning within the Kota Kinabalu area during the same period, 39 calls in Penampang and 36 reports in Papar.

“The open burning around Kota Kinabalu and Penampang are usually near housing area while those in Papar and Keningau are adjacent to farms,” Nordin added.

He said most of the open burning in Sabah comprised bush fires totalling 218 in February, forest (150) and illegal waste burning (14).

The Meteorological Services Department had classified large swathes of Sabah, Sarawak and the peninsula as being susceptible to grasslands and bush fires due to the dry weather.