Malaysia, Johor: Iskandar Puteri firefighters battle 100-hectare forest blaze

New Straits Times 26 Aug 19;

JOHOR BARU: Firefighters at Kampung Pekajang in Iskandar Puteri, near here, are winning a battle to extinguish a massive forest fire which grew to almost 100 hectares on Sunday.

As of early today (Aug 26), personnel from the Johor Fire and Rescue Department have successfully doused 45 per cent of the blaze which began on Friday, Bernama reported.

Originally 16 hectares in size, the wildfire grew to 98 hectares due to strong winds and dry conditions in the state.

However, 79 firefighters – including senior officers – from 10 stations have worked around the clock and are bringing the massive fire under control.

It is learnt that five 20,000-litre capacity tankers were used to transport water to the site, as water at a nearby river was deemed insufficient to douse the flames.

The firefighters still have a long way to go before they can completely snuff out the blaze, however.

“Based on the current situation, (the operation) is expected to take (another) four days,” said Johor Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) director Datuk Yahaya Madis.

“Following a proposal (to carry out cloud seeding activities), officers from the Meteorological Department came to the site to observe the formation of clouds (over the area).

“But the result of (cloud seeding) would probably be (only) 50 per cent successful due to low cloud moisture,” he added.

Forest fire in Iskandar Puteri spreads to 98 hectares
The Star 25 Aug 19;

JOHOR BARU (Bernama): Strong winds over the past few days caused the forest fire at Kampung Pekajang in Iskandar Puteri, near here, to spread to a new area of 98 hectares as opposed to just 16 hectares on Friday (Aug 23).

However, Johor Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) director Datuk Yahaya Madis said the department had worked hard for 24 hours to handle it and had extinguished 45% or 44 hectares of fire.

The operation was carried out by 79 members including senior officers from 10 stations in Zone 1 Johor and a station from Zone 2 Johor.

In addition, five 20,000-litre capacity water tankers were used to transport water taken from nearby fire hydrants to extinguish the fire.

He added that the source of the water had to be taken from a nearby fire hydrant because the existing river in the area could not accommodate the extinguishing operation.

"Today it drizzled a little and this did not have much effect on the operation.

"Based on the current situation, it is expected to take four days for the fire to be extinguished.

"But if the 'flooding' technique can be completed immediately, there is a possibility that the fire will be extinguished soon," he said when contacted by Bernama Sunday (Aug 25).

Yahaya said there were suggestions for cloud seeding activities be carried out in the area to assist in the firefighting operation.

The proposal was voiced by the state Housing, Communications and Multimedia Committee chaired by Kota Iskandar assemblyman Dzulkefly Ahmad.

"Following the proposal, the Meteorological Department was present at the site of the fire to observe the formation of clouds but the result would probably be 50% successful due to low cloud moisture," he said.

The fire started on Friday afternoon due to the dry weather in the state. - Bernama

TMJ checks out Johor forest fire
MOHD FARHAAN SHAH And REMAR NORDIN The Star 27 Aug 19;

ISKANDAR PUTERI: What started as an ordinary small bush fire about six days ago has destroyed about 16ha of forest in Kampung Pekajang along Jalan Tanjung Kupang.

Thick smoke from the fire has forced two nearby schools to close.

Firemen from the state Fire and Rescue Department have been battling the forest fires for about a week now, and so far, about 60% of the fire has been put out.

The situation caught the attention of Johor Regent Tunku Mahkota Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, who inspected the area yesterday for first-hand information.

A similar forest fire was put out near Legoland Malaysia and a hotel in the same district on Saturday.

State Fire and Rescue Department director Datuk Yahaya Madis said firemen had put out 9.6ha of the Kampung Pekajang fire but new hotspots caused by strong winds appeared in nearby areas.

Yahaya said 79 personnel and officers from 11 fire stations were deployed to fight the fire.

He added that five 20,000-litre capacity water tankers were being used to get water from nearby fire hydrants.

“Based on the current situation, we expect to take another four days to douse the fire. But if a ‘total flooding’ technique can be done immediately, then the fire can be put out in a much shorter time,” he added.

Meanwhile, Tunku Ismail has directed temporary closure for SMK Tanjung Adang due to the forest fire near the school.

A statement posted on Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar’s official Facebook page said that Tunku Ismail also visited SMK Tanjung Adang, which has 200 students.

He directed the school to be temporarily closed for the sake of the students’ health.

Meanwhile, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal said that all state government departments and agencies located within Kota Iskandar, which is located about 12km away from the burning forest, were still operational despite the state administrative centre being covered with haze over the last few days and Air Pollutant Index (API) reading was 81.

“The state government is looking at doing cloud seeding to help prevent the fire from spreading to other areas.

“Most of the areas destroyed by the fire are privately owned agricultural land beside the forest,” he added.

State Local Government, Urban Wellbeing, and Environment Committee chairman Tan Chen Choon advised villagers living near the forest fire to seek immediate medical treatment if they showed any symptoms of breathing difficulties.

He said the forest fire was caused by the prolonged heatwave affecting the peat soils in the area.

The Johor Education Department has confirmed that the two schools in Iskandar Puteri would be closed for two days due to the forest fire.

Its deputy director (school management) Ab Rahim Lamin said the action was taken following advice by the Johor Disaster Committee.

“For the safety of students, teachers and staff at SMK Tanjung Adang and SK Tanjong Adang, which is located near the forest fire, the department has decided to postpone school session on Aug 26 and Aug 27.

“This means the students do not have to be present at their respective schools while teachers and staff must report to schools near to their homes,” he said.

Johor Education Dept orders two schools near forest fire to close for two days
MOHD FARHAAN SHAH The Star 26 Aug 19;

JOHOR BARU: The Johor Education Department has ordered two schools in Iskandar Puteri to be closed for two days due to the raging forest fire near their location.

Its Deputy Director (school management) Ab Rahim Lamin said the action was taken following the advice of the Johor Disaster Committee.

“For the safety of students, teachers and staff at SMK Tanjung Adang and SK Tanjong Adang, which is located near the forest fire, the department has taken the decision to postpone the school session on Aug 26 and Aug 27.

“This means the students do not have to be present at their respective schools while teachers and staff must report to schools near to their homes, ” he said.

The state Education Department's decision comes following Johor Regent Tunku Mahkota Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim decreed for a temporary closure for SMK Tanjung Adang due to a forest fire near the school.

This comes after Tunku Ismail visited the burning forest along Jalan Tanjung Kupang near Kampung Pekajang here on Monday (Aug 26).

A statement posted on Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar's official Facebook page said that Tunku Ismail also visited SMK Tanjung Adang, which has 200 students.

During the visit, he decreed that the school temporarily close for the sake of the students' health.

MNS members want details on wildlife casualties from Kuala Baram fires
Stephen Then The Star 27 Aug 19;

Vast destruction of flora and fauna in Kuala Baram forest fires.

MIRI: Nature lovers here want accurate details on the casualties to wildlife caused by the devastating forest fires in the Kuala Baram district over the past 26 days.

Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) members said there must be vast losses to the animal population due to the fires that ravaged about 1,500ha since Aug 1.

In their Miri chat groups, MNS members said the wildfires posed health and property woes not only to humans but also wildlife.

"At present, no one in the government has spoken about this subject.

"It seems that wildlife and animals are not important at all," said one MNS member.

Another member said that wildlife on the ground that suffered the most were reptiles, such as snakes, and tortoises and those that depended on the trees such as monkeys, birds, squirrels and others.

Another message said the animals were losing their habitat and lives due to the fires, with reptiles encroaching into human settlements in their bid to escape.

In Miri, firefighters have helped rescue these wildlife as well as capture them if they entered residential areas.

Miri Fire and Rescue Department chief Supt Law Poh Kiong had said before that Bomba personnel would help residents whose homes were invaded by runaway wildlife.

"Our firemen are trained to handle reptiles such as snakes and monitor lizards.

"When we are alerted by the public to these creatures, we will catch them and hand them to the wildlife authorities," he had said.

Miri firemen and Civil Defence units have been catching big snakes and monitor lizards that have escaped into residential areas.

The latest episodes of forest fires in Kuala Baram have ended, with the Air Pollutant Index showing healthy air since Monday (Aug 26).