MUKAH: Muhammad Salin was devastated to find his garden in Kampung Senau destroyed after a forest fire swept through the area for the sixth consecutive day.
“I rushed back after a call, but it was too late. Everything is in ruins. All my sago palms are gone. Even the siet (sago worms) won’t stay,” the 62-year-old said, referring to the larvae commonly harvested from sago palms in rural Sarawak.
A visibly distraught Muhammad said the damage was heartbreaking as the land had provided for his family for years.
The blaze, which has burned over 7ha of land and continues to smoulder across 2ha of peat soil, has also worsened air quality in nearby Kampung Petana.
Reduced to ashes: An aerial view of the forest fire near Kampung Senau in Mukah. — ZULAZHAR SHEBLEE/The Star
Mother of three Norli Hussin said face masks are now compulsory at her daughter’s school.
“It started getting worse on Monday. There’s white dust inside our house and car. I wasn’t sure if it was safe to send my child to school, but I had no choice,” she said.
Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department deputy director Tiong King Hii told The Star that firefighting has been challenging as the fire is consuming peat soil, which has a tendency to retain heat and smoulder underground.
“The fire involves private land and has spread to an adjacent oil palm plantation.”
Firefighters have built a firebreak and dug a check dam to carry out total flooding in the worst hit areas.
