Two Bomba personnel battling the fire in Kuala Baram.
MIRI: Thick smoke, which blanketed most parts of the city especially in the northern part since Sunday, eased slightly yesterday, thanks to the tireless effort by personnel from Bomba Lopeng and Bomba Miri since Monday night.
Lopeng Bomba chief Terry Robson when met in Kuala Baram yesterday said Bomba had been battling the bushfire in Kuala Baram since 8pm on Monday.
“There are three areas currently emanating smoke actively (as of yesterday), which are at Kuala Baram, behind Eastwood Valley and behind Go Kart in Permyjaya.
“However, the smoke especially in Kuala Baram had been reduced after continuous firefighting by our team since last night,” Terry said yesterday.
A total of 35 personnel from the two stations and 18 volunteers from Naim Cendera were on the ground battling the fire.
Yesterday was the third day of battling the fire, which had thus far destroyed over 700 acres of land mainly in Kuala Baram.
Terry said according to the weather forecast, today is expected to rain and he is hopeful that it would be a heavy downpour to help lessen the work of his team which has been battling the bushfires since Sunday.
“According to the weather forecast, it is going to rain tomorrow (today) and I am hoping that it would help hasten our effort to put out the smoke which has been choking the residents here especially those in Senadin, Kuala Baram, Tudan and Permyjaya,” he said.
Meanwhile, Zone 6 Bomba chief Supt Law Poh Kiong, in a statement yesterday, said they managed to put out fire on 33 acres of land and that the effort to put out the remaining fire was ongoing.
“The overall condition of the bushfire is under control and what is left now is just a few small spots that are still actively emanating smoke,” he said.
The city’s two Air Pollutant Index (API) stations at Miri Industrial Training Institute (ILP Miri) and Miri as of 5pm yesterday continued to record moderate API reading of 89 and 73 respectively.
The API rating is measured as follows: Good (0-50), Moderate (51-100), Unhealthy (101-200), Very Unhealthy (201-300) and Hazardous (Above 300).