KOTA TINGGI: The Fire and Rescue Department has managed to put out a forest fire spanning 32ha near the Sebana Cove-Punggai bypass here.
Kota Tinggi Fire and Rescue Department operations commander Mohd Khairul Sufian Dahari said that the operation ended at 8pm on Saturday (Oct 21), after one week from when the fire started at 2.57pm on Sunday (Oct 15).
"On Oct 21, we used a fire hose of 1,000 feet with 12 outlets and three water pumps from the nearby water source.
"The fire was managed to be totally put out at 8pm on Friday (Oct 20) however, surveillance was still conducted in the area as there are still hotspots until 8pm tonight," he said when contacted.
The department had trouble putting out the forest fire as part of the land was in swamp areas, and the strong wind also caused the flames to scatter into different spots, he added.
"We would like to remind members of the public living near the area to not conduct open burnings in order to avoid such an incident in the future.
"Those who wish to dispose of their waste can do so by practicing composting at home or sending their unwanted items to the recycling centre," he added.
Mohd Khairul said that from Oct 17 until Oct 19, the department's AW139 helicopter dropped 165,000 litres of water, while the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency's (MMEA) amphibious Bombardier CL415MP aircraft dropped 204,000 litres of water.
