A forest fire in Sabah’s Kuala Penyu district was aided by a brief spell of rain, helping firefighters extinguish the blaze after an overnight battle to keep it from spreading further than the 600ha already burnt through from the day before.
Kuala Penyu Fire and Rescue chief Nelson Ponji said, “We are thankful it rained last night (Wednesday, Jan 31), which helped us bring the fire under control.”
“The rain was not heavy, lasting only about 10 minutes, but it helped,” he added.
The operation to fully stop the fire that had affected 602ha (nearly 1,490 acres) was completed at 1.15pm on Thursday.
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Nelson also mentioned that the fire destroyed some 30 oil palm trees in nearby Kampung Melawaring, with a risk it could have spread further to other nearby villages. However, the firefighters managed to stop that from happening and there were also firebreaks put in place.
Fortunately, there was no further damage to other properties and no reported injuries.
12 firefighters utilized water from the firebreak channels to douse the flames, and it was noted that the department will continue to monitor the area for possible flare-ups due to the peat soil and dry weather.
Kuala Penyu Fire and Rescue chief Nelson Ponji said, “We are on standby in case another fire breaks out. We will respond immediately if we spot fire or smoke in the area.”
On Wednesday, firemen were battling a blaze which broke out shortly after noon and swept through the jungle.
