NIBONG TEBAL: The fire, which broke out at phase three of the Pulau Burung landfill here last night has been extinguished.
Firefighters took about four hours to put out the blaze.
State Fire and Rescue Department operation officer Abdul Syukur @ Mohd Ilhami Musa said the team received a call about 10.34pm and the first fire engine from Nibong Tebal fire and rescue station was despatched to the scene.
"When we arrived at the scene, we found the fire engulfing an area measuring 40,000sq ft.
"Our initial action was to put out the fire and control it by forming a fire breaker surrounding the site to prevent it from further spreading," he said.
Abdul Syukur said firefighters managed to control the blaze by 12.01am but took several hours more to put it out completely.
He said the operation at the Pulau Burung landfill was completed about 3am.
A total of 50 officers and personnel, assisted by volunteer firefighters, were involved in the operation.
"The cause of the fire is still under investigation but we do not rule out the possibility that it could be the result of the recent dry weather," he added.
This is the second fire reported at the landfill this year.
On Jan 12, it was reported that more than 11ha of the 33ha Pulau Burung landfill was razed by fire.
The incident forced families in Ladang Byram and Kampung Kebun Baru here to evacuate their homes due to toxic fumes.
The landfill area was also declared as a Level 1 disaster area. It took firefighters about three weeks to put out the fire.