Firefighters carry out water bombing on raging peatland fire

2026-02-06 - 11:46

The fire and rescue department deployed its Agusta AW139 helicopter to carry out 15 water bombing flights, releasing a total of 12,000 litres of water. (Bernama pic) MUAR: The fire and rescue department has carried out 15 water bombing operations by helicopter to help control a peatland fire which entered its seventh day in Bakri Batu 13 and 14 here. The operation focussed on Sector D, the largest fire area estimated at 88 hectares, said the Johor fire brigade’s Zone 4 chief, Norshuhada Amsari. “The fire involved four sectors: Sector A (10 hectares), Sector B (4ha), Sector C (8ha), and Sector D, estimated at 88ha. We were quite surprised by the extent of the fire in Sector D after the air unit conducted a detailed assessment,” she said. By this afternoon, about 96% of the fire in Sector A has been extinguished, while the fires in Sectors B and C have been completely extinguished. However, only about 9% of the fires in Sector D have been contained so far. An estimated 12,000 litres of water from nearby sources was released in today’s aerial operation, with each flight carrying about 800 litres. Norshuhada said the aviation unit’s Agusta AW139 helicopter is expected to continue firefighting operations until tomorrow, depending on the needs and conditions of the fire. She said firefighters in Sectors B and C had previously used water sources from tube wells due to a lack of water supply and low pressure in the affected areas.