MIRI: A bush fire believed to have been triggered by gardening activity burned through an estimated 25 hectares of land near Jalan Airport in Miri on Saturday (April 18), prompting a large-scale emergency response.
The Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department said it received an emergency call at 12:00 pm and deployed crews from the Miri Sentral station within minutes.
The first engine arrived at the scene by 12:11 pm, with firefighting operations beginning shortly after.
Firefighters found flames spreading across dense undergrowth and a dilapidated storage hut. Initial assessments indicate the blaze may have started from land clearing activity behind the structure.
Crews worked for several hours to contain the fire, drawing water from nearby hydrants and deploying multiple hose lines to prevent it from spreading further.
The situation was brought under control at about 4:30 pm, before the fire was fully extinguished at 6:53 pm.
Additional support was provided by airport fire services, police officers from the Airport Police Station, personnel from the Miri Meteorological Office, and workers from a local agriculture company.
Authorities said the fire posed no further risk of reignition after it was extinguished, and all responding units returned to base later in the evening.
No casualties were reported.
The affected area lies 13 kilometres from Miri Sentral fire station, within the Lambir state constituency and the Miri parliamentary division.
The incident has renewed concerns over open burning and land management practices, particularly during dry conditions when vegetation can ignite rapidly. Investigations into the exact cause of the fire are ongoing.
