Southwest Monsoon: Open fire calls in four states increase

PUTRAJAYA: The number of open fire calls in the four states of Perak, Selangor, Johor, and Sarawak recorded a sharp increase of more than 100 calls a day last week, said Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) Director Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad.

He said more than 100 calls were recorded last Thursday and Friday, and he reached 249 calls on Saturday and 244 last night.

Nor Hisham said the average number of open fire calls received by JBPM was 50 to 60 per day, but there was a sudden jump because the country is now in the Southwest Monsoon phase.

“My biggest concern is open fires that usually involve large areas and take a long time to put out,” he said at a press conference after the JBPM Monthly Assembly here today.

The Department of Meteorology (MetMalaysia) expects the low rainfall to last until the transition phase of the monsoon begins, which will cause the weather to be hotter and drier until mid-September following the Southwest Monsoon.

For the period from May 17 to last Saturday, Nor Hisham said JBPM recorded 2,491 cases of open fires involving gardens, bushes, and garbage.

He said Perak recorded the highest number of open fire cases with 515 cases, followed by Selangor (344), and Terengganu (289).

“In June, a total of 685 cases of open fires were recorded,” he said.
Following the increase in open fire cases, Nor Hisham said his party will carry out operations more efficiently and identify locations where fires frequently occur.

“We have identified areas such as garbage disposal sites and are monitoring them closely,” he said, adding that the operation also involved the community fire brigade.