JBPM Records 76 Fire Cases In School Areas This Year

MARANG, July 29 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) has recorded 76 cases of fire that occurred in school areas nationwide so far this year.

Its director-general, Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad said that 60 per cent of the total cases were identified as being caused by electrical-related factors.

"Whether due to wiring, the use of electrical equipment or 'resistance' to the electricity supply, these three elements contributed to approximately 60 per cent of the causes.

“We did not catergorise fire incidents as happening in classrooms, laboratories, stores or others. But we categorised them as the entire school area,” he told reporters after the JBPM’s ‘National Firefighter Drill 2025’ closing ceremony at the parade ground, Fire and Rescue Academy (Eastern Region) in Wakaf Tapai near here today

In another development, Nor Hisham said the fire department had begun moving heavy machinery into locations of four current wildfires in Sarawak.

He said the entry of the heavy machinery was to enable ‘cutting’ of the fire line to be carried out to control the rapidly spreading fires.

“Our concern is that if the hot days continue, there will be a descent (of fires) into the peatland areas. So, we have to prepare ourselves to carry out a total flooding,” he said.

He said the fire department also received assistance from various parties who were working together to control the fires, such as large companies that have land in the affected areas.

A spokesperson for the Sarawak JBPM Operations Centre today announced that wildfires were still reported to be occurring in four locations in the state, involving a total area of more than 88 hectares.

The four locations involved were a pineapple plantation in Marudi, Miri Division; a former landfill site in Kampung Plaie, Kota Samarahan; a forest area near the Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Mukah Campus; and the Kampung Jerijih landfill site in Tanjung Manis.

Meanwhile, Nor Hisham advised the community nationwide not to start burning, including burning garbage, especially in this hot season to prevent larger fires from occurring.

“Although the number of wildfire cases this year has dropped by 50 per cent compared to last year, we are worried of fires occurring in peatland areas because they will spread very quickly in such areas,” he added.

-- BERNAMA