KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 26 — Another portion of forested area in Bukit Bendera here caught fire early today, this time covering more than 0.8 hectares located close to the funicular train lower hill station.

A spokesman from the Penang Fire and Rescue Department said a distress call was received at 12.15am afterwhich firemen from the Paya Terubong station rushed over to the scene. 

“Strong winds and dry vegetation caused the fire to spread quickly. What made the job difficult was the lack of proper access to the fire location and the fact that it involved hill slopes.

“We had to hike a distance of about 100 metres from the lower hill station and make several round trips for water supply,” he said today. 

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The squad used jet shooters, forest fire equipment  and manual sprayers to control the fire in about 30 minutes. 

“The fire was completely put out an hour after that but we will keep monitoring the situation,” the spokesman said. 

On Sunday night, almost a hectare of the forested area near the lower hill funicular station caught fire. 

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Bukit Bendera forests have caught fire several times, mostly during the dry spell in the northern region. — Bernama