The Sibu Municipal Council has come to the defence of firemen who took a week to put out a fire at a rubbish dumping ground on peat soil at Seng Ling Road here.

Its chairman, Tiong Thai King, said putting out a fire on peat soil was much more difficult than fighting an ordinary fire.

He said it was "very unfair and very unkind" of the opposition DAP to label the firemen as inefficient and ineffective when they had done their best to douse the fire.

The fire started at about noon last Wednesday and, at its height, firemen had to call for reinforcement from Sarikei, Bintangor and Kanowit towns.

Tiong said the council had to use four excavators to dig more than eight metres into the ground to douse the fire.

The Sibu Water Board and the Public Works Department had to install at least two big pipes to bring water into the area, he added.

"Most of the firemen had to work round the clock for two days when the fire started. I do not think the opposition knew about this, except to make wild accusations in the press," he said when responding to the remark by a local DAP leader.

Sibu Fire and Rescue Department chief Abdul Mutalib Rashid told a news conference that fighting the fire was difficult because of the deep layer of tyres and construction and demolition refuse dumped in the area for more than 20 years.

"The current dry season and the peat soil in the large area had not made our job any easier," he said.

Abdul Mutalib said his men would visit the site daily to ensure that the fire did not rekindle.

- Bernama