KOTA BHARU: The recycling collection site in the Padang Tembak industrial area of Pengkalan Chepa, which caught fire on Oct 27, has been successfully extinguished by 85%.

Head of Zone 1 of the Kelantan Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) Senior Superintendent Khairul Ariffin Che Ramli said that the firefighters expect the operation to be completed soon, provided there are no further issues.

He said firefighters are still on-site to monitor any remaining embers that need to be thoroughly doused.

“When this type of recyclable material burns, it takes a long time to extinguish because it consists of solid waste such as rubber, plastic, fabric, and PVC.

“Therefore, we need to carefully inspect the burned area to ensure there are no lingering hot spots that could cause the fire to reignite,“ he told Bernama at the scene today.