KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) has told the public to stop open burning after recording 1,551 fires in the state from March 1 to Sunday (Sept 13).
Its director Mohd Pisar Aziz said the highest number of cases was reported in the second quarter (April to June) with 655 (42.2%), followed by the third quarter with 470 (30.3%), and the first quarter with 426 (27.5%).
"The majority involved bush fires (1,012 cases, 65.2%), while forest fires accounted for 381 cases (24.6%)," he said on Monday (Sept 14).
Pisar said that open burning during dry weather poses serious risks as fires could spread quickly and become difficult to control.
"The safety of lives, property and the environment is a shared responsibility. The community must avoid open burning, extinguish any sources of fire immediately, and report incidents to the authorities," he said.
He said Bomba would continue to strengthen hotspot monitoring, operational readiness and public awareness campaigns to reduce the occurrence of open burning statewide.
