BINTULU: Firefighters battled through the night to contain a forest fire that scorched more than four hectares at Similajau National Park here on Tuesday, the
Dayak Daily reported.
The Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department said that it received an emergency call at about 7pm and dispatched a team from the Kidurong fire station.
Arriving at 7.38pm, the crew found flames already spreading across an estimated three acres of forest.
Firefighters laid two 400-foot hose lines, drawing water from fire engines and a tanker, as they worked to bring the blaze under control.
By 12.20am, the fire had grown to about 4.05 hectares, with 80 per cent of the affected area, or 3.40 hectares, successfully extinguished while crews pressed on with the remaining 1.10 hectares.
Operations were temporarily halted at 2.16am when water supplies in both the fire engine and tanker ran out.
Efforts resumed at 8am with reinforcements from the Bintulu fire station, with no casualties reported and the cause of the fire still under investigation.
