SEGAMAT: An illegal factory storing recyclable items in Labis here went up in flames on Friday (Feb 14), and the fire is still burning two days later.
Labis fire station operations commander Sharfini Nasar said the blaze occurred in Kampung Usaha Jaya.
“The factory’s 160ft by 60ft (48.8m by 18.2m) open shed, which stored aluminium dross, caught fire.
“Firemen tried putting out the fire using alternative techniques as water and foam could not be used.
"This was because (water and foam on the burning dross) could cause a chemical reaction ... that is bad for the environment.
“The techniques used include smothering, by covering the burning substance with earth,” he said in a statement on Sunday (Feb 16).
He added that efforts to put out the blaze had to be suspended at night as the excavators needed for smothering could not be operated.
“As of Saturday (Feb 15), only 30% of the fire was extinguished.
"Efforts to put out the flames are still ongoing today (Sunday, Feb 16),” he said, adding that 25 firemen are involved in the operation, supported by personnel from other government agencies.
Bekok assemblyman Tan Chong said he rushed to the scene after receiving a complaint about the fire at around 11am on Friday.
“Aside from monitoring the progress of the firefighting efforts, I am also in touch with the Environment Department.
“The Segamat district office has also called for a meeting to coordinate efforts.
“Now we are already planning the post-fire cleanup with the relevant government agencies,” he said in a Facebook post.
Aluminium dross is a by-product of the aluminium smelting process. It can be recycled to extract the residual aluminium content.
