MUKAH: A massive fire that raged across the Pelita Sago Sebakong Plantation since Friday has finally been extinguished, thanks to heavy rainfall that helped bring the blaze under control.
The Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) said that the fire, which first broke out around sectors C25 and C26 on Friday, initially consumed 12 hectares but rapidly spread due to strong winds and dry conditions, eventually burning over 300 hectares of land.
Firefighters from Mukah station were dispatched to the scene, about 30 kilometres (km) from Mukah town, following a distress call at 9:54 am on Friday.
The location posed logistical challenges as the team relied on water drawn from nearby drainage canals to battle the flames, which were made more difficult to control by low water levels and persistent strong winds.
Despite intense conditions, the fire was successfully prevented from reaching nearby settlements.
Kampung Sitieng, located about 5 km from the fire zone, remained safe throughout the operations.
On Sunday, the team reported that the fire was no longer spreading, and they only carried out minor extinguishing work from a nearby ditch.
The department said a large ditch acted as a natural firebreak, and a shift in wind direction toward the north helped slow down the burning and reduced resources.
The operations wrapped up at 10:50 am after a downpour over the plantation area extinguished the remaining embers.
Once the situation was deemed safe, firefighters safely returned to base.
