ABOUT 35ha of the Kuala Langat Selatan Forest Reserve in Banting has been burning for days.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director of operations Hafisham Mohd Noor said authority was only informed of the blaze yesterday morning by the Selangor Disaster Management Unit, which received the report from the Selangor Forestry Department.

He said 68 fire fighters from several fire stations in the Klang Valley were still battling the blaze. 

“As the fire was far from the (forest) entrance, firefighters had to make their way into the forest to reach the affected area. 

“Peat forest fires need time to extinguish, because even if we  manage to put out the fire on the ground, sometimes it is not over because it’s still burning underground,” he said.

Hafisham said the operation was assisted by various other agencies such as the Selangor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), Civil Defence Force and the Kuala Langat District Council.

He said 13 water bombing exercises were carried out yesterday and they would be repeated today with the help of MMEA assets.

He said by the end of the operation at 7pm last night, two hectares of forest area were cleared and the fire was under control.

“The firefighting operation will continue tomorrow,” he said, adding there was the possibility the fire could have been deliberately started. – Bernama, March 1, 2020.