BALING: The Fire and Rescue Department faced some difficulty trying to put out forest fires seen spreading around the peak of Gunung Baling on Wednesday (Feb 1) evening.
Baling Fire and Rescue Department chief Mohd Jamil Mat Daud told Malay language daily Sinar Harian that initial monitoring of the incident found that the fire occurred at a steep and hard-to-reach location.
He said the department was alerted to the incident by a distress call at 7.20pm.
"We received information that clouds of smoke were forming around Gunung Baling.
"As soon as fire and rescue officials arrived, the team found Gunung Baling was on fire and it was spreading to the mountain peak.
"It was difficult for the team to reach the site and put out the fire," he said.
He told Sinar Harian this was due to geographical factors and the steep limestone walls on the mountain.
He added that the team was forced to call a temporary halt after dark and the operation continued on Thursday (Feb 2) morning
Jamil also said further monitoring of the situation will be done.
