Hot spell among causes of landfill fires in Perak

Hot weather is one of the causes of landfill fires in several parts of Perak which took some time to put out.

State Fire and Rescue Department director Azmi Osman said after extinguishing the fire at the sanitary landfill site at Batu 3, Jalan Tanjung Tualang in Batu Gajah yesterday which took more than two days, firefighters were still working hard to put out the fire at the Tasek Perdana waste disposal site in Pengkalan Hulu since yesterday.

“Besides the hot and dry spell, the cause of the fire may also be due to human activities so I advise individuals looking for thrown items to avoid the use of flammable sources and not to dispose of cigarette butts in waste disposal areas,” he told Bernama here today.

He said parties managing the landfill sites also need to control the area so that it could not be entered by outsiders, especially those in search of disposed items there.

Yesterday, the fire at the sanitary landfill site at Batu 3, Jalan Tanjung Tualang involving an area of 4ha was completely extinguished at 3.30pm since the incident was first reported at 12.39pm on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Perak Fire and Rescue Department received a report yesterday on the Tasek Perdana landfill fire at 12.43pm covering an area of 4ha which has not been fully put out until this evening.

The firefighting operation involved personnel from Pengkalan Hulu Fire Station, using an excavator and two bulldozers and using the "fire-break" technique whereby trenches are dug to prevent the fire spreading.

- Bernama