MIRI: Statistics show that fire destroyed RM 6.5 million worth of property, killing a man and injuring five others here as firemen were kept busy with the high number of cases and kept on their toes by rampaging bush fires.
The Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) managed to save RM 5.1 million of property in Miri last year comparatively to a similar scenario in the preceding year.
The number of fire cases and rescue and emergency cases in 2013 were comparable to those in 2012, Miri Fire chief Supt Ali Bema disclosed yesterday.
The Miri Fire and Rescue Department also responded to 449 emergency calls last year, with 194 fire-related and 250 rescue and emergency cases in Miri.
Bush fires topped the list at 93 cases, followed by building fire (39), vehicle (13), machinery (4), jungle (2), and vessel (1) in cases handled by the Bomba.
In addition, there were also 25 rubbish fires, two stall fires and the rest, short circuit fires.
Meanwhile, this year from January to date, there has been an estimated RM2.6 milion in losses by fire, while RM219, 000 worth of properties were saved.
So far, there have been 18 fire-related cases, 30 rescue calls, and one special job assignment call to the Fire and Rescue Department in Miri this year.
The fire cases included bush fires (8), jungle fires (3), building fires (2), vehicle fires (2) while the remaining three cases were short circuit fires.
“Residents should not practise open burning as it may spread to other areas especially during the dry spell that we have now,” advised the fire chief.
“Residents should also be alert, especially when cooking. Don’t leave it halfway and don’t use too many extension sockets that can cause short circuits,” he added.