51 hectare peatland fire put out after four days
Firefighters said operations were hampered by hot weather and strong winds, lack of open water sources, and narrow road shoulders with soft soil.
On August 24, a peatland fire spanning 51.4 hectares near Pengerang, Johor, was reported. Senior operations commander Baharuddin Idris revealed that firefighters encountered difficulties due to scorching weather and robust winds, which facilitated the rapid spread of embers through the peat layer. The thinness of open water sources and the narrowness of road shoulders, characterized by soft soil, further complicated their efforts.
To combat the blaze, firefighters employed a relay pumping system, utilizing 12 water tankers that executed shuttle runs to supply water to the fire engines. The deployment of firebreaks was facilitated by two excavators. The Fire and Rescue Department stated their commitment to closely monitoring the area to prevent the fire from reigniting.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
