MIRI: The forest fire on a hillside near Niah Cave in Niah National Park was fully extinguished on Wednesday (July 15) after three days of firefighting operations by the Fire and Rescue Department Air Unit, assisted by relevant agencies.
The Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department Operations Control Centre said helicopter-assisted firefighting using the water bombing technique began at 9.45am and was completed at noon.
It said 20 water bombings were carried out on Wednesday, involving 26,000 litres of water over three hours and 36 minutes.
"The fire involved an area of 1.62 hectares, and the entire affected area has been successfully extinguished,” it said in a statement.
Wednesday's operation involved an Air Unit helicopter and 11 personnel, as well as a fire rescue tender (FRT) from the Batu Niah station with eight personnel.
On Tuesday (July 14), helicopter-assisted firefighting operations were carried out as the fire site, located on a steep and rocky limestone hillside near Traders Cave, was inaccessible by road.
The fire is believed to have been caused by a lightning strike that ignited trees at two locations, namely the Traders Cave hillside and the Kuala Hangus area in Gua Besar.
Due to safety concerns, the authorities have temporarily closed Niah National Park to the public and increased monitoring along the trail leading to Traders Cave. — Bernama
