KUANTAN: The fire that engulfed about 300ha of an oil palm plantation in Rompin is almost extinguished, with only a small area of about 0.2ha still undergoing firefighting operations as of Tuesday (April 7).
Pahang Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (Operations and Rescue) Mohd Salahuddin Isa said more than 299ha of the affected area have been put out since operations began on March 23.
He said intensive firefighting and containment efforts were carried out to prevent the blaze from spreading to nearby areas, particularly amid hot weather conditions.
"So far, over 99% of the affected area has been extinguished. Operations in three of the four sectors, namely B, C and D, were fully completed as of 5pm Monday (April 6).
"We expect the remaining fire to be fully extinguished today after two weeks of operations,” he said when contacted on Tuesday.
Salahuddin said that among the main challenges faced were the vast size of the affected area, limited water sources and the hot weather.
Despite this, he said the operation, involving personnel from the Rompin, Muadzam Shah, Triang and Mentakab fire stations, proceeded smoothly, with support from the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) and plantation workers, who provided technical assistance at the site. – Bernama
