El Nino: Selangor Fire Department on High Alert for Open Fires

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) has stepped up the preparedness of its personnel and operational assets to address the risk of open fires following the El Nino phenomenon.

Its director, Dato’ Wan Md Razali Wan Ismail, said bushland, forests, plantations and peatland areas are expected to be more vulnerable to fires due to hot and dry weather conditions.

“As vegetation becomes increasingly dry, fires can spread more easily. In peatland areas, fires are more difficult to control as they can spread underground and require a longer period to extinguish.

“The risk also increases when open burning activities are carried out without proper control or when ignition sources such as cigarette butts, agricultural waste burning and rubbish burning are present,” he told Media Selangor.

In this regard, Wan Md Razali said the Selangor JBPM Operations Centre would ensure that personnel and operational assets remain at an optimal level of readiness, particularly in high-risk areas.

He said the department has also identified strategic water sources to ensure firefighting operations can be carried out smoothly in the event of a fire.

“We have taken the initiative to identify alternative water sources near high-risk areas and coordinate with relevant agencies in the event of water shortages,” he said.

Previously, Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup said the El Nino phenomenon is expected to continue until the middle of next year and could reach a “super” or very strong level from this month until January 2027.

He was reported as saying that an analysis by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (METMalaysia) found that the Southwest Monsoon, occurring simultaneously with the phenomenon, could result in lower rainfall and hotter, drier weather conditions.

Media Selangor