The authorities in Sabah are fighting to keep sporadic forest and other fires in the state from spinning out of control, the result of the dry spell which is running into its second month.

The El Nino phenomenon is said to have exacerbated the unusual drought being experienced in the state.

However, the scale of the fires so far has been nothing like that reported in the media, thanks to Sabah's forests being fragmented into pockets with the few corridors linking them, according to official sources.

"The forest fires are still under control," said Sabah Forestry Department (SFD) Director Sam Mannan.

"We have cautioned all holders of Sustainable Forest Management Licensee Agreements (SFMLA) in the state to upgrade their fire prevention and control capabilities," he added.

Mannan has also directed SFMLA holders to close all entry points into their Forest Management Units to prevent illegal entry, thereby lowering the risk of fires being set off by anyone.

Warm weather and drought conditions do not by themselves cause fires but just make it easier for such outbreaks, according to Mannan.

Fingers point at farmers

" haze sarawak 180806 plantation fires Generally, fire cases during dry spells are caused by traditional slash-and-burn agricultural practices and hunting activities."

Also, SFD Deputy Director Fidelis Edwin Bajau has warned villagers in areas bordering forest reserves, at the risk of eviction, to help reduce the risk of fires by avoiding all open burning.

An official update from the Fire and Rescue Services Department (FRSD) and SFD confirmed that so far only 100 ha of the 12,000ha Binsulok Forest Reserve have been destroyed.

Earlier reports had painted a dismal picture of fires consuming thousands of hectares of forests.

Efforts are still continuing to contain the blaze, according to a SFD spokesman. "The forest fires have contributed to the lingering haze - still below the danger level -- enveloping the district in the last two weeks."

"Open burning activities by farmers are mostly to blame for causing the spread of the fires," confirmed a FRSD spokesman. "This has caused substantial planted acreage under rubber, palm oil and pineapples in the forest fringes to be destroyed."

Those found doing open burning have apparently not been deterred by the threat of stiff fines and jail sentences, according to Sabah Environmental Department (SED) Director Abdul Razak Abdil Manap.

They are liable to fines from RM2,000 to RM500,000 for each burnt area, jailed a maximum of five years, or both, he said.

Police too roll up sleeves

In Sandakan, along the east coast, police had to resort to shovels to help fight a fire on Tuesday which scorched 20 hectares of the Sim Sim Forest Reserve before being brought under control.

According to OCPD Assistant Commissioner of Police Rosli Mohd Isa 15 families had to be evacuated from the area.

SFD deputy head of sustainable forest management in Sandakan, Pilis Malim, conceded that his office could do with better tools to combat forest fires more effectively.

He was commenting on the police being roped in at Sim Sim amidst reports of people using machetes and even their bare hands to fight fires in the district.

The FRSD and the SFD have teamed up in several high fire risk areas that bear watching until late March when the dry weather is expected to end. April is generally a rainy month.

Away from Binsulok, sporadic fires have been spotted in about 5,000 hectares of private land in Beaufort and Kuala Penyu, along the west coast. This includes less susceptible grazing land in Nuhakan, near Kuala Penyu, and 1,000 hectares of private land in Kampung Luagan near the 3, 360 hectare First Class Klias Forest Reserve.

"The fire has not yet spread to Klias," confirmed the SFD spokesman.

Other areas scorched by the forest fires include 4 hectares in the Melawaring Forest Reserve, 20 hectares in Bukit Hampuan Forest Reserve in Ranau in the interior, and 90 hectares in Sipitang within the Sabah Forest Industries (SFI) concession area.