Fire and Rescue Dept conducting 24-hour monitoring at Kuantan landfill fire site
Gebeng Fire and Rescue Station chief Zahidah Ali said her team successfully brought the blaze, which covered an area of nearly one hectare, under control by 5.30pm on Monday (July 21).
She said further monitoring would be conducted by 40 officers who have been assigned two-shift duties at the site, as the area was located between five and eight metres from high-risk locations such as gas pipelines, electrical substations, and underground fibre optic cables.
"When we started operations, we continued to create firebreaks, and the risk of the fire spreading to the relevant areas was low. Additionally, stakeholders also took joint action to carry out monitoring work to prevent the fire from spreading," she said when met by reporters on Tuesday (July 22).
She said that among the challenges in the operation was the hot weather. A Bernama survey found that thick smoke also enveloped the area and disrupted visibility for road users in the area.
Zahidah said that the cause of the incident was still under investigation. However, the possibility that it was caused by the weather has not been ruled out.
On Monday, the Environment Department announced that the fire caused unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings in Balok Baru, Kuantan, and Kemaman, Terengganu.
Balok Baru continued to record an unhealthy API reading of 139 at 8am on Tuesday. This decreased to a moderate reading of 96 as of 3pm. – Bernama
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