Stephen Then, The Star 2 May 09;
KUALA BARAM:Wildfires are ravaging huge plots of land near the Sarawak-Brunei boundary in the Kuala Baram district, some 40km north of Miri.
Thick, choking smog from these fires has made breathing quite a misery for the 30,000 residents living in numerous housing estates leading from the city to the border, especially at night and in the early morning hours.
A check by The Star found some big fires adjacent to the 1.2km-long transboundary bridge linking Sarawak and Brunei.
Vast stretches of land next to the Sarawak-Brunei highway have also been burned. Smoke could be seen billowing from deep forested land in the district a few kilometres away.
Many residents have complained that they have been breathing in smoke and ashes during the night and in early morning hours.
At the Miri Divisional Fire and Rescue Department, firemen were busy dealing with calls from concerned residents.
''Banyak panggilan. Sini, sana pun ada (Many calls, here and there also got),'' quipped the station master on Saturday.
It is learnt that about three dozen fires have been reported so far as at 2pm yesterday.
A department spokesman said the causes of the fires were still being investigated, but that these were most likely caused by open-burning activities.
Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam said that he would convene an urgent meeting soon with the relevant authorities to deal with the issue.
It was only four days ago that the ASEAN sub-committee on transboundary haze met in Bandar seri Begawan in Brunei and warned about the possibility of haze from now until September due to the anticipated onslaught of the dry spell.
