MIRI, March 20: Firefighters in Miri are struggling to contain a peat soil fire behind Curtin University, which has spread across an area as large as 62 hectares.
A spokesperson from the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) stated that their efforts to extinguish the fire were hampered by several factors, including the lack of road access and water sources. Additionally, the fire was too risky to be tackled through offensive methods.
The Lutong fire station received the distress call at 5:30 PM yesterday (March 19). Upon reaching the scene, firefighters found that the fire had already engulfed approximately 62 hectares of land.
Due to the challenging conditions, firefighters are unable to conduct direct operations to extinguish the fire. Instead, they will continue to monitor the area periodically.
Peat fires are notoriously difficult to suppress, as they involve smoldering combustion below the ground, sometimes reaching depths of up to 10 feet. — DayakDaily
