Firefighters tackle blaze in peatland and former plantation
The fire at the former plantation in Betong, Sarawak, has yet to be extinguished, while the operation at the forest reserve has been suspended until tomorrow.
Firefighters in Sarawak are currently battling a blaze at a former oil palm plantation and 30 hectares of peatland in Betong. The firefighting operation has been challenging due to difficult and narrow access to the site, limited water sources, and poor radio and mobile phone coverage, according to the fire and rescue department.
As of 5pm, the flames have not been fully extinguished, with reports from the Borneo Post. A smaller fire in a 1.8 hectare area of forest reserve in Lundu was successfully put out through a water-bombing operation this afternoon. However, a portion of the affected area remains to be extinguished since operations were suspended at 4.30pm and will resume the following day.
The forest fire was first reported on Thursday evening. Despite efforts to combat the blaze, the department stated that firefighting efforts have been hindered by the site's distance from the main road, the lack of water sources, and the hilly terrain.
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- Firefighters tackle blaze in peatland and former plantation freemalaysiatoday.com
