NIBONG TEBAL: The Fire and Rescue Department carried out a water bombing exercise to put out the peat fire at the Pulau Burung landfill this morning, a week after a portion of the Pulau Burung landfill caught fire.
The estimated area of the landfill is 16.2 hectares but the area affected by the fire is about 6.5 hectares.
Checks by the New Straits Times at the site this morning showed the department's helicopter putting out the fire at specific sites earmarked through thermal imaging issued by the Department of Environment.
The helicopter took to the sky for about an hour for the water bombing exercise, circling the fire site numerous times, while releasing water.
The helicopter was also seen taking water from a nearby river for the water bombing exercise.
State Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said the water bombing exercise was conducted by the department using a helicopter flown in from Subang, Selangor to help in the exercise.
"A total of eight officers and personnel were involved in the exercise. We hope that this will reduce the spread of the fire at the landfill," he said.
Each water bomb is able to hold 1,600 litres of water.
Phee said to ensure the smooth process, all agencies and residents were refrained from flying their drones.
The Fire and Rescue Department had estimated that the fire at the Pulau Burung landfill would be completely extinguished in two weeks.
Nibong Tebal fire and rescue station (BBP) chief Noor Asfariza Mohamad Abdul Kadir had reprotedly said that since the fire occurred last Wednesday (Jan 12), they had only managed to extinguish seven per cent of the total 80 per cent at the landfill.
She had also said that the fire at the landfill involved the surface and at the bottom of the garbage pile, up to 15 to 20 metres deep.
Some 400 people from 86 families in Ladang Byram and Kampung Kebun Baru have been ordered to evacuate following air pollution brought about by the fire.
On Monday, state Department of Environment (DoE) director Sharifah Zakiah Syed Sahab said that the air quality within a seven-kilometre radius from the landfill which was taken on Monday, was still polluted and dangerous.
Yesterday, 10 schools within a 10km radius of the landfill were ordered to close for three days until Friday.
In a separate development, Phee said 44 people from 10 families near the landfill have been relocated to two evacuation centres set up to house them.
Many of the affected families also chose to stay with their relatives.