TAWAU - The current hot weather has been identified as one of the contributing factors to a higher number of fire incidents, with 1,403 cases reported across Sabah during the first four months of this year.
Sabah Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) Operations Division assistant director Muhammad Taquiddin Victor Doon said extreme weather has driven the increase in the frequency of fires, especially those involving open burning.
He said that of the total, 863 cases or about 61 per cent were open fires affected by dry environmental conditions.
"The breakdown of these open fires involved bushes and grass (551 cases), followed by forest fires (233 cases), rubbish fires (51 cases) and farm or plantation fires (28 cases),” he said.
He explained that the hot weather, together with the lack of rainfall, reduced the moisture content of soil and vegetation, such as grass, making it easier for fires to spread even from small sources.
"Grass, bushes and wood become very dry, making the area susceptible to fire even from a small spark.
"In addition, high temperatures and strong winds, particularly during the Southwest Monsoon, cause fire to spread quickly and become difficult to control, thus enabling it to spread to other areas in a short time,” he said.
However, he said that although the hot weather is a catalyst, the main cause of fire incidents remains uncontrolled human activities.
"Open burning activities, discarded cigarette butts, land clearing and negligence in the kitchen and the use of electricity are the main triggers of the reported incidents,” he said.
To tackle the situation, Muhammad Taquiddin said the Sabah JBPM is strengthening its operational readiness through continuous monitoring, particularly in areas identified as high risk during the dry season.
He said these measures are supported by the deployment of personnel and assets at optimal levels to ensure a swift, efficient and effective response capability.
In addition, the Sabah JBPM is also intensifying public awareness campaigns, including empowering initiatives such as Bomba Komuniti, Junior Bomba, Suri Komuniti Bomba (Suri) and Briged Bomba to act as early responders.
"This initiative focuses on fire prevention education, techniques for using fire extinguishers and the initial actions to be taken before the fire brigade arrives at the scene.
"These measures are important to develop communities that can act as first responders in handling any fire incidents at the community level,” he added.
Earlier today, about 30 houses were destroyed in a fire at Jalan Bokara, Kampung Karamunting, in Sandakan.
It was the second incident within less than a month in Sandakan, following the water village fire tragedy in Kampung Bahagia on April 19, which destroyed 1,000 houses and left over 9,000 people homeless. - BERNAMA