Open burning cases jump from 3 to 11 from July 10-12 in S’wak; Kuching, Miri record most incidents

File photo for illustration purposes only. Photo: Hilal Abdullah/Getty Images via Canva Pro

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, July 14: The Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) has placed its primary focus on strengthening the preparedness of its personnel and operational assets to curb an increase in fire incidents, particularly open burning, following a sharp increase in open burning cases over three days from July 10 to 12.

In a statement, Sarawak Bomba director Jamri Masran said that to date, the Kuching and Miri divisions have recorded the highest number of open fire incidents compared with other divisions.

Based on an infographic shared on cases recorded from July 1 to 13, July 10 recorded three cases, which spiked to 10 and 11 cases on July 11 and 12, respectively, before decreasing to five on July 13.

As for July 1 to 9, the number of cases recorded ranged between one and five, with zero cases on July 2.

The infographic shows the number of open fire incidents recorded in Sarawak from July 1 to 13, 2026. Source: Bomba

Breaking it down by division, Kuching recorded the most cases at 15 out of 49, with Miri coming in second with 11, followed by Mukah with six, Bintulu with five, and Sibu with four.

The Samarahan, Sri Aman, and Betong divisions each recorded two cases; Kapit and Limbang recorded one case each, and Serian and Sarikei didn’t record any cases.

“Although the overall number of cases remains under control and at a stable level, the department is concerned that if these incidents are not contained, or if the public does not exercise greater vigilance during the current hot weather, the number of open burning cases could continue to rise.

“This could adversely affect the health and daily activities of local communities due to smoke pollution,” he said.

In this regard, Bomba urges all members of the public to refrain from carrying out any open burning activities during the current hot weather.

The department will also continue to work closely with the Department of Environment (DOE) and the Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) to ensure appropriate enforcement action is taken against individuals or companies responsible for open burning that harms the environment.

He also added that the department has made and will continue to make comprehensive preparations and coordinate the deployment of its land and aerial assets to address the threat posed by the Super El Niño phenomenon currently affecting the country this year. — DayakDaily