JOHOR BAHRU, Jan 28 — The Air Unit of the Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) is expected to begin water bombing today in an effort to extinguish a peatland fire that has been burning for nearly 100 hectares since last Friday at Jalan Sungai Kapal, Taman Bayu Damai in Pengerang.
Head of the JBPM Air Division Operations Management Branch Mohd Ruzaidi Ramlee said the MI-17-IV helicopter with two pilots and 13 crew members will depart from the Central Region Air Base, Subang, Selangor, for the 10 am mission.
“The use of helicopters is only efficient for surface fires. Apart from extinguishing fires, helicopters are also used to make fire breaks and deliver personnel and equipment to places that are difficult to access by land,” he said when contacted by Bernama.
The helicopter is equipped with a 1,590-litre Bambi Bucket for forest firefighting operations using the fire-bucket method. It will be piloted by Deputy Fire Chief II Mohd Hasrizal Kamaruzzaman and Senior Assistant Fire Chief Ahmad Hafiz Sulaiman.
The operation involves 13 crew members, comprising two flight engineers, five air quartermasters, four personnel from the Special Air Fire Service (PASKUB) and two bowsermen.
Mohd Ruzaidi said they would conduct an aerial survey first to find out the current state of the fire for further mission planning with the operation commander.
The firefighting operation reached 50 per cent completion as of 7 pm yesterday, with firefighters, assisted by various agencies, successfully controlling and extinguishing approximately 49.8 hectares of the 99.55-hectare affected area. No casualties were reported.
The operation received support from several agencies, including the Royal Malaysia Police, the Civil Defence Force, Pengerang Municipal Council, the Irrigation and Drainage Department, the Public Works Department, and the Department of Environment.
The rapid spread of the fire was attributed to dry and windy conditions, which caused thick smoke to drift into nearby residential areas around Taman Bayu Damai. Firefighting efforts were further hampered by limited water sources and difficult access to the affected area.
The situation disrupted residents’ daily lives, as dense smoke blanketed housing areas, causing breathing difficulties and reduced visibility.
As of last night, residential areas remained shrouded in thick white smoke accompanied by a strong smell of burning.
As a result, 153 victims from 50 families were evacuated to two relief centres as of 8 am today. The centres are the Taman Bayu Damai Multipurpose Hall and Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Kapal.
Yesterday, firefighting efforts in Sector B focused on extinguishing the blaze using a 500-foot hose line, supported by breaching, nozzle jetting and the construction of a fire break.
In Sector A, firefighters, together with the Civil Defence Force (APM), were divided into two teams to combat the fire behind residential areas using mechanical and portable pumps, as well as water supplied from nearby fire hydrants. — Bernama
