PETALING JAYA: Land or plantation owners must proactively patrol their surroundings and ensure all fire fighting systems are functioning in view of the current dry, hot season, says the Fire and Rescue Department.
Its director-general Datuk Seri Nor Hisham Mohammad also issued a stern reminder against open burning and warned the public against disposing cigarette butts from vehicles.
The main cause of forest and bush fires, he said, was due to human carelessness.
“This includes uncontrolled burning of agricultural leftovers, rubbish and also the disposal of cigarette butts in high-risk locations,” he said when contacted.
The force, said Nor Hisham, was on heightened alert against fire risks, especially in the northern part of the peninsula during the ending phase of the north-east monsoon between January and March, and peatland locations during the south-west monsoon.
“Report even the smallest instances of fire to the authorities to curb any possibilities of it growing out of control,” he said.
Nor Hisham said among the challenges of putting out peatland and forest fires were difficulties in getting to the location, wind gusts which could cause the fire to spread more aggressively as well as the difficulties in obtaining nearby water sources.
Referring to the “Fire Triangle” concept – fuel, heat and oxygen which are required for a fire to ignite, burn and sustain itself – he said this could be increasingly prominent during heat spells.
“Here, the heat comes from the weather itself, where dry leaves, branches or peatlands provide fuel while wind can hasten the surface fires.
“This can result in even smaller fires spreading during a short period,” he said.
Fires have razed several parts of the country in the past few weeks, including a peat fire in Pengerang, Johor.
The peat fire, which razed close to 100ha, was extinguished after almost a week of firefighting.
Another peatland fire occurred at a pineapple plantation in Kluang, Johor, on Feb 1.
On Jan 28, 18 vehicles were damaged after a bushfire spread to a parking area next to a mosque in Taman Bukit Mewah, Johor Baru.
On Feb 4, about 5ha of forest at the jeep trail near the Penang Botanic Gardens also caught fire.
Besides Johor, other open burning cases have also been reported in Kedah and Selangor.
