Swift firemen save the day
By Achong Tanjong 

Quick response and action by the Fire Services Department saved the houses in Kampung Salambigar from being gutted by raging grass fires last night. However, the incident, which occurred around 10 pm, was enough to shock nearby residents. The furious fires destroyed some of the fruit trees as well as other plants in some of the house's compounds.

But speedy action by the Fire Service Department managed to stop the fire from spreading and damaging the houses nearby.

The fire was brought under control within only a matter of minutes. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

During this dry spell the Fire Services Department is always busy with calls related to bush and grass fire apart from other disasters.

The concerned relevant authorities have urged the public to cooperate with them and to refrain from open burning or from carrying out any other activities that could ignite a fire.

They appealed to the public to make an immediate report of any sightings of bush and peat fires to the Fire Services Department by dialling 995.

Meanwhile, the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation of the Ministry of Development recently made an announcement stating that, the numbers of bush and peat fires were reported to have increased in the country. The occurrence of these fires coincides with the prevailing dry weather conditions, which were making vegetation and peat soil susceptible to catching fires as well as helping to spread the fires quickly.

The warm and dry weather conditions are expected to last until March.

In the last two years bush and grass fires topped the list of the most numbers of emergency calls recorded by the Fire Services Department.

The statistic shows that, the number had increased drastically to 917 last year as compared to only 699 cases recorded in 2001.

The overall record of lands damaged by the fires were 1,562.294 hectares last year as compared to only 955.087 hectares in 2001.

One of the biggest bushfire incidents this year was recorded at Kg Junjungan, Mukim Lumapas where a fire razed about 36 acres of farmland in the areas recently.

Courtesy of Sunday Bulletin