JOHOR BAHRU – The unpredictable and extreme weather in some parts of Malaysia is causing not only more bush fires, but also drownings.

       To cool down during the extreme heat, victims go for a dip in rivers and other water bodies but end up drowning instead.

       Malaysia’s fire and rescue department director-general, Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad, said there have been an average of 10,000 incidents, including bush fires and drownings, that have necessitated rescue operations in each month of 2024.

       In July alone, there were 2,000 bush and forest fires while the average number of drowning cases each month is about 20.

       “Between January and Aug 7, the department received a total of 73,604 incident calls nationwide.

       “On July 27, we handled 403 incidents with the majority being bush and forest fires,” he said, adding that most of the cases in 2024 happened in Selangor, Johor, Perak and Sabah.

       Mr Nor Hisham said the department is continuously monitoring 845 fire hot spots in 95 districts nationwide.

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       “So far, there are no active forest fires nationwide, but to date, my men have put out fires at about 11,501ha of forests and bushes nationwide,” he said.

       The most, he said, are in Sabah, comprising forests of 6,895ha, followed by Pahang with 3,107ha, Kelantan with 452ha, Johor with 336ha and Terengganu with 335ha, he told The Star.

       “The biggest challenge faced by my men during a prolonged dry season is fires located deep in the forest with inadequate water sources to extinguish them.”

       Mr Nor Hisham said department helicopters were monitoring hot spots and carrying out water bombing to douse fires.

       He reminded smokers not to throw cigarette butts indiscriminately and warned others against open burning.

       On drowning cases, he said to date, 162 people, including 19 women, have drowned.

       “Most of the victims were below 40 years old. It is sad that so many young people have drowned this year,” he said, adding that most cases occurred in rivers, tributaries, beaches and mining areas.

       He urged parents to always keep tabs on the whereabouts of their children, especially when they go on outings with friends.

       In the latest bush fire in Muar, 12 firemen were called in to put out fires at a cemetery in Batu 6 on Aug 6.

       Muar fire station chief Shahrizal Mohtar said his team also attended to bush fires at night due to the current dry season after receiving a call about the incident from the police.

       He said that the calls on bush and forest fires have gone up in the past two weeks in Muar. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK