Negeri sembilan: The Negeri Sembilan Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) recorded 219 open burning incidents in January, an increase of nearly threefold compared to the 81 cases reported in the same period last year.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, State JBPM director Nor Arifin Kamari highlighted that grass fires were the most common type of incident, accounting for 121 of the cases. This was followed by garden clearance fires with 56 incidents, rubbish fires with 33, and fires occurring on plantations or farms and in forests with 5 and 4 cases respectively.

Nor Arifin attributed the rise in incidents to factors such as extreme weather and strong winds which help fires spread quickly, increasing the risk of them developing into large-scale blazes. He also noted that human activities, including intentional burning, have significantly contributed to the increase in open fires across the state.

Several areas have been identified as recurring or potential hotspots for such incidents, including Kuala Pilah, Port Dickson, Teluk Kemang, and Seremban 2, with other districts also seeing a rise in cases.

Reflecting on last year's statistics, Nor Arifin reported that the Negeri Sembilan JBPM recorded 610 grass fires, 129 rubbish fires, 33 forest fires, and 25 plantation or farm fires. He advised the public to avoid open burning due to its detrimental effects on air quality and public health, as well as the risk of causing uncontrolled fires.

The Department is maintaining a high alert status with adequate personnel and equipment ready to respond to any fire emergency. Nor Arifin emphasized the importance of cooperation from all parties to curb open burning and prevent harm to the economy and the nation's ecosystem.

He urged members of the public facing any emergency to contact the emergency line at 999 or reach out to the nearest fire station for assistance.