Water bombing operations begin as forest fire rages in Kuala Baram

MIRI: The Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department in Miri has started aerial water bombing operations to contain a raging forest fire in the Kuala Baram district.

The fire had already spread to 32 hectares of land and was nearing the Komplexs Hamidah orphanage, said Miri Fire chief Supt Law Poh Kiong.

Supt Law in his latest update to Sarawak Bomba said the Bomba Air Unit would be dropping water from nearby sources to try and contain the flames.

"Firefighters are also on the ground battling the fires which are burning in peat soil," he said.

Thirty-two hectares is about the size of 70 football fields.

Aerial pictures show smoke visible for kilometres in the sky. The wildfire in Kuala Baram is just one of dozens that are burning throughout the state now.

State authorities are also worried about haze and smog coming from west Kalimantan, where there are more than 120 huge fires raging.

Fires measuring more than one sq km in size are called hotspots as they can be detected by satellites 100km above earth.