A peat soil fire in Punggai, Kota Tinggi has expanded to 12.14 hectares, sending thick smoke into Taman Bayu Damai due to dry, windy conditions.
KOTA TINGGI: A peat soil fire in the Punggai area has expanded significantly due to dry and windy weather. The blaze has grown from 5.26 hectares to 12.14 hectares, sending thick smoke into the Taman Bayu Damai residential area in Pengerang.
The Punggai Fire and Rescue Station received an emergency call at 11 am. This prompted the deployment of a Fire Rescue Tender with 12 personnel, supported by three members of the Malaysian Civil Defence Force.
A drone unit from Zone 2 conducted assessments on the fire’s spread, water sources, and access routes in Sectors A and B. Firefighting could not be initiated in Sector A due to distant water sources and a limited open water supply.
Personnel focused efforts on Sector B, where strong winds caused a more active fire spread. Operations there involved a 500-foot hose line, one breaching operation, and two engine nozzle streams using water from a fire hydrant.
Continuous northerly winds have caused new flames to appear in several areas. Thick smoke has continued to spread into residential zones.
Punggai Fire and Rescue Station chief Ezam Mistorerrodin stated that only 2.02 hectares have been extinguished so far. This represents about 20% of the total affected area, with firefighting operations still ongoing.
This incident follows a separate fire reported on January 18 near the current site. That blaze involved a plantation covering approximately 2.83 hectares along Jalan Punggai-Taman Bayu Damai.
Hot and windy weather at that time also intensified flames and complicated firefighting. The operation took four days to fully extinguish due to strong winds carrying smoke into nearby areas.
