Pulau Burung landfill fire: 45% of area still ablaze

BUKIT MERTAJAM – Only 45% of the 11.3ha at the Pulau Burung landfill in Nibong Tebal has yet to be extinguished.

State Fire and Rescue Department director Saadon Mokhtar said that at this point, his department did not have an exact timeline on when the firefighting in Pulau Burung could be completed.

“Currently, one of the extinguishing methods used is earth piles. A total of 50 to 60 dump trucks were donated by the Seberang Prai City Council.

“We can’t give an exact time on when this fire can be completely extinguished, but we will try to do our best. If possible, before the Chinese New Year celebrations next week,” Saadon told reporters while attending the Malaysian Family Safety Campaign and Eliminating Fire Hazards in conjunction with Chinese New Year at the Aeon Mall Bukit Mertajam.

Earlier, The Vibes reported that nearly half of the Seberang Prai Selatan district was blanketed by a thick plume of smoke due to the Pulau Burung landfill fire that began on January 12.

The thick smoke originating from the dumpsite can be clearly seen within a radius of 10km, resulting in air pollution following the hot weather that hit Penang recently.

The fire at the Pulau Burung landfill involved an area of ​​11.3ha out of a total area of ​​33.2ha.

This is not the first time the Pulau Burung landfill has caught fire, as fires were also reported in February and July last year.

The fire also forced about 90 families from two villages nearby to be evacuated, besides causing 10 schools to close.

Meanwhile, Saadon said statistics on fire, rescue and 24-hour special services in Penang last year showed a decrease compared to the previous year in terms of the number of cases, deaths or injuries.

He said fire cases involving buildings, bushes and others decreased from 54 cases in 2020 to 51 cases last year.

At the same time, he said, rescue-related cases also decreased from 76 cases to 59, causing the total number of cases last year to reduce from 154 cases to 119. – The Vibes, January 26, 2022