Forest fire in S'gor under control - Amirudin

The forest fire in several areas in Selangor is now under control, said Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari.

Amirudin said, however, the focus and attention on monitoring in peatland areas is still being carried out, as the risk of fire is greater and difficult to control.

“There were three fire incidents, namely in Kuala Kubu Bharu, Kajang and Seri Gombak. But Alhamdulillah, they were brought under control immediately.

“We are monitoring the situation in Kuala Kubu Bharu to ensure that it does not continue.

“What we are worried about is in the peatland area, because if (a fire) occurs, it will take a long time and involve a larger operation,” he said.

He told reporters after officiating the third Children’s Book Festival at the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) Complex today.

Amirudin said the state government, through the Public Health and Environment committee chairperson Jamaliah Jamaluddin and the State Disaster Management Unit, had been mobilised to monitor the haze situation on a daily basis.

He said the monitoring also included more frequent patrols in hotspots and high-risk areas so that fires, in particular, would not recur.

Fires being monitored

In a related development, Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) is closely monitoring forest and land fires across several provinces in Sumatra and Kalimantan, with both active and contained hotspots being reported.

Fires that broke out in South Sumatra’s Musi Rawas, Muara Enim, Ogan Ilir, and Pali regencies have been successfully extinguished by the joint emergency teams by Wednesday, BNPB spokesperson Abdul Muhari said.

“Local authorities recorded 2,543 hotspots from Jan 1 to July 22, with 43.08ha of land affected,” he said in a statement on Friday.

In West Sumatra, a fire that started on July 12 in Limapuluh Kota remains active due to water shortages. Efforts are concentrated on preventing the fire from spreading to residential areas, particularly in Nagari Tarantang.

In Padang Lawas, North Sumatra, some 435ha have been affected by fire, with the blaze in Marenu village remaining active. A fire in Parsombaan village, which began on July 20, has been extinguished.

“In Simalungun Regency, a 60ha fire was brought under control by Thursday, and efforts to contain fires continue in Panai Hilir, Labuhanbatu,” Abdul added.

He highlighted that Riau Province, a key area for fire prevention, has seen 1,144.90ha affected so far this year. Efforts to extinguish the fires are ongoing.

In West Kalimantan, the number of hotspots decreased from 17 to three on Thursday following an emergency alert declared in the Kubu Raya regency, which intensified containment efforts.

Fires in Central Kalimantan’s Palangkaraya city and East Kotawaringin regency, which destroyed a total area of 201.03ha, were extinguished by joint teams, he said.

- Bernama

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