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A forest fire that broke out in a reserve near Batang Kali in Selangor has rapidly spread from 8 acres to 56 acres in less than 24 hours, according to state fire authorities
The Selangor Fire and Rescue Department said that it had dispatched seven firefighters to the scene after receiving a distress call at 6.34pm on Tuesday, 22 July, about a fire in the forest reserve area near Kampung Pertak, close to New Kuala Kubu Bharu.
However, their efforts to contain the fire were initially delayed due to the lack of accessible roads into the forest, reported the New Straits Times.
"By the time we managed to find a way into the fire zone around 10pm, the fire had already engulfed about 50 acres," Selangor Fire and Rescue Department operations chief Ahmad Mukhlis Mukhtar was quoted as saying by China Press.
The firefighting operation was postponed to the next morning, 23 July, due to safety concerns and the insufficient water sources
A temporary command post has been set up at the site, and as of 2pm yesterday, the affected area has increased to 56 acres.
"Ground extinguishing efforts are underway. We are awaiting aerial firefighting assistance from the Fire and Rescue Department's air unit," the department said.
Photos of the devastation caused by the fire can be viewed below
For context, 56 acres is about 227,200 square metres. That's roughly about 3.2 times the size of Bukit Jalil National Stadium, which is roughly 70,000 square metres.
