MIRI: Slash and burn farming has been blamed for 35 bush fires in and around the city.
Fire and Rescue Department personnel have been stretched this dry spell with frequent calls to put out bush fires.
Since the beginning of the month, the Miri Fire Station has handled 15 bush fire cases.
“The most common cause for the fires is people burning to clear land for planting crops,” said Miri fire chief Supt Ali Bema yesterday.
Among the areas affected were Lusut, Tukau, Canada Hill and the vicinity of the airport.
He said although the number of fires is high, the department managed to control them within one or two hours.
“Please limit your open burning, control fires and put them out so that they will not spread to other areas,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, the Lopeng Fire Station has dealt with some 20 bush fires this month, including peat fires.
Lopeng Fire Station chief Supt Eddy Zulkifli Abdullah said his team is always on standby, especially with the recent increase in fires brought on by the dry spell.
Hotspots have been detected from the Kuala Baram area to the Curtin University Sarawak area.
On Monday, the Department of Environment (DOE) said housing developers have been warned not to carry out open burning.
Assistant Minister of Communication Datuk Lee Kim Shin also expressed his unhappiness with inconsiderate individuals who are unconcerned about the environment.
According to the DOE website yesterday, the Air Pollutant Index (API) here ranged from good to moderate.