DUNGUN: Firemen here are still busy trying to extinguish the peat fires in Dungun and Setiu.
The state Fire and Rescue Department public relations office Rozizah Abni Hajar said fire fighters were still doing their best to put out the peat fires at Pengkalan Jering in Dungun and Bukit Layat forest in Setiu.
The fires were detected last Wednesday and a total of 7ha was on fire in Dungun, but half of the fire has been extinguished, he said.
“In Setiu, efforts to put out the fire on an hectare of forest are still ongoing.
“We expect to fully extinguish the fire today (yesterday),” he said.
The fire in Dungun is expected to take three more days to put out – depending on the weather and water sources.
Previously, some 200ha of forest and vegetation in the state were destroyed due to fires in the first four months of this year due to El Nino.
During that time, the department received more than 900 calls on open burning.
He reminded the public not to carry out open burning, including for agricultural purposes or clearing rubbish during this dry season. – Bernama
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