SHAH ALAM, March 7 — Only five per cent of the eight compartments of the Kuala Langat Selatan forest reserve that were on fire have not been extinguished.
Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Norazam Khamis said the affected areas are compartment 17, while compartments 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 20 had been completely extinguished, reported Harian Metro.
“Apart from the direct extinguishing through land and the assistance of aerial waterbombing from the air, the rain last night and this morning also helped speed up the firefighting in the area,” he said.
He added that his team also faced the challenge of extinguishing the fire from the air today due to unpredictable weather and strong winds.
On Thursday, Norazam expected the fire in the peatland area at the edge of the forest to be completely extinguished in five days if the fire did not spread into a new area.
On February 28, it was reported that about 34 hectares of the Kuala Langat Selatan permanent forest reserve were on fire due to open burning activities.
State executive councillor for environment Hee Loy Sian said the fire covered 0.45 per cent of the total 7,416 hectares of forest area.
