PUTRAJAYA: A total of 3,565 open burning cases were recorded nationwide from Jan 1 to Jan 30, raising concerns within the Fire and Rescue Department.
Its director-general Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad said 2,660 cases, or 74.6% of the cases involved bush and scrubland fires, which have been identified as the main contributor to the rise in open burning incidents.
“Of the total cases recorded, the majority involved bush and scrubland fires, while the rest involved fires linked to waste burning, forests, smallholdings, paddy fields, plantations and construction sites,” he said at a press conference after the department’s annual assembly on Friday (Jan 30).
Nor Hisham said the situation was worrying, particularly amid the current dry weather conditions, which could cause fires to spread rapidly.
He warned that open burning, even when it begins on a small scale, could escalate into larger incidents, resulting in damage to property and posing risks to public safety.
“We do not want the public to take this lightly. Small-scale burning can lead to major fires and serious losses,” he said.
As such, Nor Hisham issued a stern warning urging the public to stop all forms of open burning and to immediately report any such activities to the authorities.
He added that public cooperation was crucial in enabling early intervention to prevent incidents from worsening and to minimise risks to lives and property.
