Muara Tutong Highway forest fire

A forest fire occurred at the Muara Tutong Highway near Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) campus this afternoon (29 March 2013, Friday). The fire which occurred around 3:30pm caused massive damage to the forest area facing the Tungku Beach.

A team of firefighters in two fire engines from Rimba Fire Station as well as Brunei Fire and Rescue Department Special Squad was rushed to the scene to control and extinguish the blaze. Also present was the traffic police from the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) traffic division who direct the traffic which was affected by the smoke from the fire. The blaze was suspected to be caused by the current hot and dry weather situation. The firefighters also faced difficulties in fighting the fire due to the strong winds and the terrain of the scene. The similar forest area also caught fire in 2009.

In relation to the current hot and dry weather situation the Brunei Fire and Rescue Department advised the public not to conduct open burning especially near the forest or bushes as it can create inferno such as forest and bush fires. Beside in the Brunei Muara District the department also receive emergency calls on bush and forest fire at Belait and Tutong district as well in this week.