Bush fires: Sibu Fire and Rescue Dept on full alert for possible

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Lieutenant Madihi Habib

Abdul Mutalib Rashid

SIBU: The Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) here were on full alert yesterday of possible bush fire outbreaks as the scorching weather persisted.

“We are on standby and ever ready to face any eventualities,” Sibu Bomba chief Abdul Mutalib Rashid told The Borneo Post when contacted.

He, however, disclosed that they had yet to freeze the leave of their staff at the moment.

“Thus far, there is no bush fire reported but we are monitoring the situation very closely,” Abdul Mutalib said when asked on cases of bush fire.

Meanwhile, the weather was excruciatingly hot yesterday afternoon, touching 34 degrees C.

But on the bright side, a check with Natural Resources and Environment Board Sarawak (NREB) website, noted that the Air Pollutant Index (API) for Sibu had eased to 51.

The readings for other divisions as at 11am yesterday were Kuching (39), Samarahan (53), Sri Aman (37), Sarikei (47), Kapit (37), Bintulu (65), Miri (39) and Limbang (50).

Meanwhile, Malaysian Civil Defence Department (Jpam) Sibu head Lieutenant Madihi Habib too, revealed that they had not received any report on bush fires.

“But we are keeping our eyes peeled and our men are on standby, given the dry weather,” he stressed.

Madihi urged public members to call their 24-hour operation room at 084-340455 to report emergencies.

Madihi gave assurance that they were on standby and well prepared to respond to any emergencies.

“We have 30 first responders, who can be deployed anytime to respond to an emergency,” he said when asked their alertness level.

An observation in the town yesterday, saw people swarming to shopping complexes to stay clear of the scorching heat.

Even men were seen using umbrellas as the heat became unbearable.

A shop assistant of a retail outlet in a shopping mall nearly fainted due to the heat stress.

Her colleagues had a scare as they rushed her to the main entrance of the building for fresh air.

On Thursday, a source from NREB, citing the Meteorological Department, disclosed that the weather was expected to get drier as the La Nina weather pattern had been subdued.

In view of this, Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) Sibu Sub-Branch advisor Dr Hu Chang Hock advised people to drink lots of water to avoid getting heat stress.

“We need to practise good standards of hygiene and cleanliness besides taking lots of water,” he said.