KUCHING: The Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department is actively monitoring hot spots as part of its preparedness for a prolonged dry season from a possible strong El Nino weather cycle.
This cycle can increase the risk of fire across the state.
Its director Jamri Masran said 40 hot spots had been identified across Sarawak, with the Miri zone having the most at 12.
Other hot spot locations include Samarahan with 11, Bintulu (10), Sibu (five) and Kuching (two).
"The hot spots are monitored based on data from all fire stations in Sarawak," he said.
"A location is identified as a hot spot if it has a record of at least five fire incidents in three consecutive years involving a minimum of 24ha in a 500m x 500m grid," he said on Thursday (July 2).
Jamri said real-time monitoring was also carried out using the Malaysian Meteorological Department and Asean fire danger rating systems to identify locations with a high fire risk.
In addition, he said the department was working closely with other agencies to ensure swift and effective action against forest fires.
"The cooperation involves providing water supply and pumps, fire engines, access to fire locations, manpower and other logistics," he said.
Jamri said voluntary fire squads also played an important role by channeling information on fire incidents and conducting initial firefighting operations before the department's teams arrive.
"The involvement of voluntary and community fire squads as strategic partners can improve response capability, especially in rural and remote areas, while helping to prevent fires from spreading," he said.
Jamri also urged the public not to conduct open burning activities during the hot and dry season.
Any fire incident should be reported immediately so that it can be put out before spreading further, he added.
"We are aware that haze is often caused by forest and peat fires in neighbouring countries," he said.
"However, efforts to control fires in our own state remain important to prevent any haze from worsening," he said.
