POLICE are investigating a case of alleged negligence in Bachok, Kelantan involving fire after a woman was detained following an incident in which a rubbish fire is believed to have spread to surrounding scrubland, ultimately engulfing an abandoned vehicle along Jalan Pantai Perkasa on Friday.
Bachok district police chief Superintendent Mohamad Ismail Jamaluddin said investigations were being carried out under Section 285 of the Penal Code for negligent conduct involving fire or combustible materials that endangers property.
“Prior to this, we received information regarding the incident at about 4.30pm,” he said on Saturday.
He added that initial investigations found that a complainant had been alerted by a witness that scrubland and a vehicle frame in front of an abandoned house were on fire, prompting locals to rush to the scene.
“Upon arrival at the location, the fire was found to be raging and spreading towards the complainant’s nearby residence,” he said in a statement on Saturday.
He confirmed that members of the public managed to extinguish the blaze.
Further inspection revealed that the fire affected an open area near the abandoned house up to the front of the complainant’s residence, damaging vegetation and several items including coconut trees, a Proton Wira vehicle frame, construction timber and an iron fence.
Investigators also discovered evidence of rubbish burning on the suspect’s land adjacent to the affected area.
According to witness statements, the suspect was seen carrying out rubbish burning at about 11.30am on the same day.
In a separate incident in Dungun, a peat swamp forest fire at Kampung Baru Kuala Abang escalated significantly, with the Fire and Rescue Department deploying an Agusta AW139 helicopter from the Northern Region Air Base in Bertam, Penang, to conduct water-bombing operations.
Terengganu Fire and Rescue Operations Division Assistant Director Mohd Izwan Hashim said the aircraft was also used to insert firefighting teams into affected zones.
“The helicopter was also used to deploy firefighting personnel into the fire area,” he said.
He added that the blaze had spread across approximately 32 hectares, divided into sectors A, B and C, with 52 firefighters deployed on the ground focusing their efforts on sectors A and B.
“Our teams are working tirelessly in these sectors as we are concerned the fire may spread to residential areas,” he said.
Strong winds from multiple directions had further accelerated the spread, producing thick smoke that engulfed nearby settlements.
Water from fire hydrants was being used in residential areas, although authorities reported difficulties in containing deep-seated peat fires due to drying swamp water sources.
Residents, particularly the sick, elderly, infants and young children, were advised to temporarily relocate to relatives’ homes due to hazardous smoke conditions.
Meanwhile, resident Saiful Bahari Kamarudin, 64, said the fire had come dangerously close to his home.
He expressed gratitude that firefighters managed to save his house from destruction.
“The peat land there often catches fire, and this time it spread right up to my house and four of my neighbours’ homes,” he said.
He added that the blaze spread rapidly from the rear of his house and reached its central structure.
“Fortunately, the firefighters arrived quickly,” he said.
However, embers reportedly entered his home through the roof, setting fire to three mattresses inside.
“My wife, children and I managed to pull all the mattresses out. If I had not called the fire brigade promptly, my house would certainly have been destroyed,” he said. - April 25, 2026
