KOTA KINABALU — A total of 1,551 open burning cases were recorded in Sabah from March 1 to Sept 13 this year, with scrub and grass fires accounting for the majority of incidents.
Sabah Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) director Mohd Pisar Aziz (pic) said an analysis by quarter showed that the second quarter, from April to June, recorded the highest number of cases at 655, or 42.2 per cent of the total.
This was followed by the third quarter, from July to September, with 470 cases (30.3 per cent), and the first quarter, from March to March, with 426 cases (27.5 per cent).
“Of the total cases recorded, scrub and lalang fires accounted for the highest number at 1,012 cases (65.2 per cent), followed by forest fires with 381 cases (24.6 per cent),” he said in a statement today.
Mohd Pisar urged the public to refrain from open burning, particularly during dry weather, as fires can spread rapidly and become difficult to control.
“Public safety, property and the environment are a shared responsibility. The community must play its part by avoiding open burning, immediately extinguishing any sources of fire and reporting incidents to the authorities if a fire occurs,” he said.
He said JBPM Sabah would continue to strengthen hotspot monitoring, operational preparedness as well as public education and awareness efforts to reduce the risk of open burning across the state.
