SEREMBAN, March 26 — The sudden increase in fire cases in Negeri Sembilan from March 1 to yesterday is believed to be due to hot, dry weather and open burning by a few parties.
Negeri Sembilan Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) director Nor Arifin Kamari said 205 cases were recorded during the period, an increase of 159.5 per cent compared to 79 cases for the same period last year involving bush, orchard or plantation, forest, and garbage fires.
"Currently, open fire cases are being affected by extreme hot weather conditions and strong winds, which have accelerated the spread of fire more easily and uncontrollably.
"The extreme hot weather has also caused the water level in the soil to decrease and has contributed to dry soil conditions, thus accelerating the spread of fire," he told Bernama today.
In conjunction with the festive season, increased activities such as burning garbage to clean up areas, sparks from firecrackers, and the disposal of cigarette butts that were still burning also contributed to open burning.
Additionally, the JBPM state operations centre and all stations receive many calls from the NG999 system every day to address open fire cases across all districts, with the current focus areas being Seremban, Teluk Kemang and Tampin.
Meanwhile, Arifin said the sudden increase in open-fire cases was very worrying and could affect public safety, community health, and the environment.
In this regard, the Negeri Sembilan JBPM called on all parties, including departments, agencies, and the community, to jointly raise awareness of the effects of open burning.
"The public is advised not to carry out any open burning activities, especially in hot and dry weather conditions, to reduce the risk of uncontrolled fires, in addition to not burning garbage openly.
"The community also needs to ensure that the surrounding area is always clean of flammable materials and immediately report any fire incidents to the authorities via the 999 emergency line or the nearest fire station," he said.
