FIREMEN STILL BATTLING GUNUNG KORBU FIRE
Water bombing technique being used to put out blaze near Orang Asli settlements
FIREFIGHTERS continue to battle for the second day running a mountain fire that is said to be spreading at a height of 500m in the Gunung Korbu Forest Reserve in Sungai Siput, north of here.
The fire, that was spotted at 8am yesterday in 10 per cent of the forest reserve, has now spread to 30 per cent of the area, according to Perak Fire and Rescue Department assistant director of operations Mohd Yunus Abu.
Thirty firefighters are using the water bombing technique to put out the blaze, now located in an area between the Pos Legap and Pos Mu settlements of the Orang Asli, said the commander of the operation.
They are using an MI-17 helicopter and dropping water from 1,500-litre-capacity buckets, he said, adding that the fire was spreading easily due to the hot weather, strong winds and the bamboo plants that burn fast.
“Nevertheless, the fire was confined to the bamboo plants and shrubs, and has not spread to the huge trees in the forest reserve.”
Mohd Yunus said a fire and rescue control post had been set up at the Forestry Training Centre in Jalan Lintang, Sungai Siput, and a forward control post would be established in Kampung Santeh, also in Sungai Siput.
“A Multi Skill Team (MUST), in collaboration with the Sungai Siput Forestry Office, has set up a Heliwell, a portable water tank, in Kampung Santeh to draw water for the water-bombing operation,” he said.
The firefighters are from the fire and rescue stations in Sungai Siput, Kuala Kangsar and Ipoh, as well as a MUST unit and the Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team of Malaysia, assisted by 20 personnel from the police and Forestry Department.