KUCHING: Three separate forest and peatland fires are keeping firefighters busy in Daro and Simunjan, with hot, dry and windy conditions making the battle to contain the blazes more challenging.
The three fires happened at Kampung Kut and Kampung Penuai on Pulau Bruit, Daro, and Kampung Lubok Punggor, Simunjan.
In Kampung Kut, firefighters were battling a 7.5-hectare forest fire which has been burning since Aug 31, with five hectares still remaining to be extinguished.
Firefighters from Daro station managed to extinguish 2.5 hectares of land, but operations were being hampered by hot, dry and windy conditions that caused the fire to spread rapidly.
In addition, they are also facing limited water sources in the interior of the affected area, poor GIRN communications coverage and the lack of road access to the fire scene.
Meanwhile, a separate fire has been reported at Kampung Penuai on Pulau Bruit, where about three hectares have been affected since Sept 1.
Firefighters from Daro station were working to prevent the blaze from spreading, particularly towards nearby roads and residential areas.
It was understood that the Penuai blaze was a new incident and was not a rekindling of the earlier forest fire near Kampung Kut.
Hot and dry weather, along with thick smoke and haze, is making it difficult for firefighters to identify hotspots and carry out suppression work.
The operation is also facing water supply problems, particularly in dealing with the fire in the middle section of the area, while limited access is making it difficult for the team and firefighting vehicles to move around.
Meanwhile in Simunjan, firefighters are dealing with a separate peatland fire at Kampung Lubok Punggor, where about 8.47 acres, or 3.43 hectares, have been affected.
The fire was reported on Aug 31, with firefighters from Kota Samarahan station deployed to put out the flames.
At the time of writing, there are no new updates on the Simunjan fire.
