NIBONG TEBAL, Jan 28 — The Penang Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) has extinguished 65 per cent of the over 11 hectares on fire at the Pulau Burung landfill, Jalan Byram, here.
According to a statement from the Seberang Perai Selatan District Disaster Management Committee, sectors 1, 2 and 4 have been completely extinguished but are still being monitored. Land reclamation work is also still being carried out to ensure no more fires.
“To facilitate the fire extinguishing work, the fire area at the landfill has been divided into five sectors with three sectors having been successfully extinguished completely.
“Meanwhile, extinguishing and control works are still being carried out in sectors 3 and 5 using various methods and equipment. Overall, the fire is under control,” according to the statement today.
It said that the extinguishing efforts were also assisted by various federal and state agencies including the Seberang Perai City Council, Penang City Council, Civil Defence Force, Volunteer Fire Brigade and landfill management company, Syarikat PLB Terang.
The main focus of the operation apart from putting out the fire was to ensure the safety of staff at the location, according to the statement.
It added that the Penang Department of Environment (DOE) has also monitored the Air Quality Index round the clock since the fire began and will continue monitoring using drones to detect heat spots. — Bernama
