The peat soil in the area, combined with the dry weather, made it challenging for firemen to battle the blaze.
KOTA KINABALU: A brief spell of rain helped firefighters battle a raging forest fire in Sabah’s south-western Kuala Penyu district.
Firemen managed to extinguish the blaze at about 1pm on Thursday (Feb 1), after an overnight battle to keep it from spreading further than the 600ha already burnt through from the day before.
“We are thankful it rained last night (Wednesday, Jan 31), which helped us bring the fire under control,” Kuala Penyu Fire and Rescue chief Nelson Ponji said when contacted.
“The rain was not heavy, lasting only about 10 minutes, but it helped.
“The operation was completed at 1.15pm on Wednesday and we managed to fully stop the fire that had affected 602ha (nearly 1,490 acres),” he added.
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Nelson said the fire destroyed some 30 oil palm trees in nearby Kampung Melawaring and there was a risk it could have spread to Kampung Purun Ulu and Kampung Nukahan.
“We managed to stop that from happening and there were also firebreaks, so that helped as well.
“Other than the trees, there was no damage to other properties and no one was hurt,” he said.
He added that 12 firefighters involved in the operation utilised water from the firebreak channels to douse the flames.
He noted, however, that the department will monitor the area for possible flare-ups owing to the peat soil as well as the dry weather.
“We are on standby in case another fire breaks out.
“We will respond immediately if we spot fire or smoke in the area,” he said.
It was reported on Wednesday that firemen were battling a blaze which broke out shortly after noon and swept through the jungle.
