KULAI, Feb 24 — A total of 39 firefighters from three fire stations have been struggling since yesterday afternoon to control and extinguish a massive fire at a rubber and plastic storage warehouse in the Sengkang Industrial Area along Jalan Air Hitam in Senai.

As of today, the operation is still ongoing. At press time, the Johor Fire and Rescue Department estimated that about 65 per cent of the blaze had been put out.

The fire, first spotted at 4pm yesterday, did not result in any injuries or fatalities.

However, thick smoke has caused air pollution in the surrounding area, including two nearby schools.

Kulai Fire and Rescue Station operations commander Muhammad Fauzi Awang said authorities received the emergency call at 4.37pm yesterday.

“A total of 39 firemen from the Kulai, Bandar Baru Kulai and Skudai fire and rescue stations were involved in the operation.

“They were assisted by machinery strength involving three Fire Rescue Tenders (FRT), one Compact Fire Rescue Tender (CFRT), two four-wheel drive pick-ups and two lorries.

“The fire involved a semi-permanent rubber and plastic storage warehouse measuring approximately 91.44 x 152.4 x 24.38 metres, with a destruction rate that is estimated to be at 80 per cent,” he said in a statement today.

Muhammad Fauzi said operations were divided into sectors covering the front, sides and rear of the building to contain the flames and prevent them from spreading to nearby structures.

“A total of three 240-metre water streams were used, along with three breechings and six water jets via relay pump from an open water source, namely the river,” he said, adding that a specialised machine was used to extinguish the upper parts of the structure.

The operation also received assistance from Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Holdings Berhad, involving 11 personnel and 20 firefighting foam barrels with a capacity of 20 litres each.

Muhammad Fauzi said the blaze was brought under control at 8.39pm last night, but extinguishing operations continued into the early hours of this morning.

He said an additional 30 firefighting foam barrels from nearby states were en route to the location to support ongoing efforts.

Meanwhile, Johor Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said the operation is now in its final phase.

He said the extinguishing work involved an integrated response among several government agencies.

“The extinguishing operation was immediately carried out as soon as the report was received, involving the Johor Fire and Rescue Department, the Kulai Municipal Council (MPKu), the Kulai district office and related technical agencies.

“The main focus is to extinguish the fire residue and patches of rubber and plastic that are still active using the direct attack technique with firefighting foam to prevent the fire from recurring,” he said in a statement today.