Open burning, fireworks add to firefighting challenges

On the frontlines: Firefighters working tirelessly to contain a forest fire in Gebeng, Pahang, amid challenging dry conditions.

JOHOR BARU: There are more than 600 hotspots across the country and the current dry spell has already ignited some of these areas, with firemen having their hands full battling peat soil fires burning underground, according to data from the Fire and Rescue Department.

Its director-general Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad said major forest fires had engulfed a total area of 284ha in Gebeng in Kuantan, Putrajaya and Muadzam Shah in Rompin, although fires in Muadzam Shah had already been put out by Thursday.