Bomba still battling 17ha peat soil fire in Pengerang, 40% put out so far
Firefighters in Pengerang are working to contain a 17-hectare peat soil fire that began on Sunday. Despite progress in extinguishing 40% of the blaze, strong winds and equipment failures have complicated the operation.
Why it matters
Peat fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish and contribute significantly to air pollution and environmental degradation.
PENGERANG: Efforts to contain the peat soil fire at the Bukit Pelali Chinese cemetery and along the Sebana-Punggai bypass road are still ongoing.
Sebana Cove fire station chief Umar Hafiz Roslee Amir said the fires, which started at 5.08pm on Sunday (Sept 6), cover an area of about 17ha.
"As of now, we managed to put out 6.8ha or 40% of the affected area," he said in a statement on Monday (Sept 7).
Umar Hafiz said strong winds, spot fires and forest terrain made battling the blaze difficult.
He said the affected area was divided into two sectors, Sector A covering 13ha and Sector B over 4ha, for the firefighting operation.
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