JALAN BYPASS PUNGGAI-SEBANA COVE FIRE 85 PER CENT EXTINGUISHED

KOTA TINGGI, March 26 (Bernama) -- About 85 per cent, or 127.5 hectares, of the 150-hectare area affected by the fire along Jalan Bypass Punggai-Sebana Cove here has been extinguished as of noon today.

The Johor Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) said the firefighting operation, using a “direct attack” method with water tankers, had contained the fire and prevented it from spreading to new areas.

The agency added that workers from Yayasan Perladangan Johor (YPJ) assisted by creating fire breaks using a mini excavator from the PIJ plantation side and nearby forest boundaries, while the Malaysia Civil Defence Force (APM) also helped with the firefighting efforts.

The firefighting plan also includes implementing additional fire breaks and continuing the “direct attack” method to tackle the remaining 15 per cent, or about 22.5 hectares, of the area still burning.

“Water sources from YPJ ponds have also been identified, and YPJ plantation workers are assisting with cooling operations, while JBPM is planning to deploy helicopter water bombing to speed up extinguishing efforts,” it said in a statement today.

For the fire near the Pengerang People’s Housing Project (PPR), 55 per cent, or 5.5 hectares, of the total 10-hectare affected area has been extinguished using “direct attack” and “total flooding” methods with nearby fire hydrant water sources.

“A JCB backhoe was also deployed to create fire breaks to control the spread. The firefighting plan for this area includes using the ‘direct attack’ method to extinguish the remaining 4.5 hectares, as well as deploying heavy machinery to strengthen fire control,” it said.

The blaze along Jalan Bypass Punggai-Sebana Cove started on March 21 while the PPR area fire, covering 10 hectares, has been burning since March 24.

Meanwhile, JBPM Johor reported receiving 2,403 calls related to open burning from the start of the year until March 25, covering a total area of 1,925.34 hectares.

Of these, 1,861 calls involved bush, grass, and scrub fires; 312 cases involved plantations and orchards; 225 cases were rubbish fires; and five cases involved forest fires.

-- BERNAMA