Traffic is down to a crawl due to the thick smoke.
The haze enveloping an area in Kuala Baram.
MIRI: Thick smoke from raging bushfires blanketed Kuala Baram yesterday and were visible from as far as Permyjaya and Tudan.
Firemen from Miri and Lopeng fire stations, led by Zone 6 chief Supt Law Poh Kiong, were mobilised to the scene to douse the fire and prevent it from spreading.
“At the moment, we cannot determine the size of the area that is burning,” he said.
It is understood that the road heading towards Kuala Baram has been diverted as a car using the road was involved in an accident due to poor visibility.
Policemen were also mobilised to the scene to control traffic flow.
According to sources, the fire started at 12.30pm (yesterday) and had since spread to nearby areas.
Meanwhile, Assistant Minister of Communications Datuk Lee Kim Shin, advised the people, especially landowners, developers and plantations, not to do any burning at this time of the year and to put out any fire they came across before it became too big to handle.
He said he was at Kuala Baram yesterday to see for himself the fire raging there and the thick haze it was causing and also at several areas in Permyjaya and Senadin.
Rela personnel have been stationed at the Permyjaya watch tower to monitor and report of any fires there, especially at the peat swamp areas.
Other departments are also on standby for any signs of fires in the area.