Fire department reports 3,565 open burning cases in January, a major jump from last year, with bushfires making up nearly 75% of incidents
PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) recorded 3,565 open burning cases nationwide from January 1 to 30.
Its director-general Datuk Seri Nor Hisham Mohammad said 2,660 cases, or 74.6% of the total, were bushfires.
The remaining incidents occurred in forests, small farms, padi fields, plantations, and construction sites.
“This is a big jump compared with (the same period) last year,” he told reporters after the 2026 JBPM Annual Parade.
He urged the public not to carry out open burning and to report any such activity in open areas.
Nor Hisham warned that open burning poses risks to lives and can result in significant property damage.
He cited a case in Johor where a fire intended to clear bushes next to a shop spread uncontrollably and destroyed 18 parked cars.
Separately, Nor Hisham announced that JBPM achieved a 67.5% rate for responses within 10 minutes over the past year.
This brought the national average response time down to eight minutes and 45 seconds from eight minutes and 48 seconds in 2024.
The initial target was 63%, showing progress toward the 2030 KPI target of 70% for sub-10-minute responses.
In law enforcement, the department carried out 21,429 fire hazard elimination inspections last year, exceeding its 18,000 target.
Over the past three years, 58,628 inspections resulted in 32,445 notices to ensure compliance with fire safety regulations.
“The passing of the Fire Services (Amendment) Bill 2025 has further strengthened the legal framework for firefighting and rescue efforts,” he said.
Key amendments include a new provision for registering firefighting equipment, with offences punishable by fines of up to RM500,000.
The compound value for compoundable offences has also been raised from RM500 to RM1,000.
The department is considering widening the types of compoundable offences, especially high-risk violations, to send a clear message on fire safety.
Nor Hisham also launched the JBPM Strategic Plan 2026-2030 at the event, outlining four core areas with 39 strategies and 162 initiatives.
