Raging fires near border with Brunei gut forests the size of 50 football fields

THE HUGE forest fires blazing near the Malaysia-Brunei border have expanded to cover at least 21 hectares – roughly the size of 50 football fields combined – much of which is on peat soil.

The Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) has been battling to contain the flames for days, but they are still spreading.

"Our teams are on the ground doing all they can but the fires are on deep peat soil. We are trying to create fire breaks but the fires are still advancing," the department said in a statement late yesterday.

The sky over the hotspots has turned dull and yellow in colour while the acrid smell of burning hangs in the air.

The situation has become more severe as the dry and sunny weather worsens in northern Sarawak.

It is unclear what sparked off this latest round of wildfires, whether it was deliberate open burning of agriculture wastes or the dry spell.

Miri Mayor Adam Yii has expressed worry that the smog can be felt even in Miri city some 30km away, causing a veil of haze to surround the population there.

One of the areas on fire is in the Kuala Baram district near the border.

Firefighting teams were deployed to the site but they could not do much as the fire was deep within peat areas where there are no roads.

Yii said the Miri city council and the other enforcement agencies are concerned that spates of open burning will worsen the conditions, and called for stricter enforcement rounds daily.

The Vibes reported last month of increasing concern in parts of northern Sarawak over open burning and forest fires as the dry and hot weather set in.

Some 35 cases of wildfires were recorded over a period of a week from February 20 to 27.

Bushfires, peat fires, forest fires and fires in dumpsites made up the bulk of the hotspots, according to statistics from Sarawak Bomba.

Total flooding and direct dousing from water sources have been attempted to quell the flames.

One giant fire hit a peat forest in Kuala Lawas in the northernmost district, affecting about five hectares of land. The fire was raging near a village called Kg Banting.

A helicopter equipped with water bombing facilities from the Bomba’s Miri base was deployed to carry out aerial water bombings to reach the deeper areas that were on fire. – The Vibes, March 24, 2024