Firefighters battle stubborn landfill fire

The firefighters of Pengkalan Kubor know that very well.

So, when smoke kept drifting skywards from the landfill of the Tumpat District Council in Kampung Kok Bedullah, days after a fire there had been put out, they worked out a plan of action.

Raja Arisan Raja Ismail, chief of the Pengkalan Kubor Fire and Rescue Station, said the landfill has been divided into five zones and water will be sprayed until it sinks into the ground to where the fire could be burning.

"For this operation, we are using seven water pumps to flood the area with water drawn from a nearby river," he told Bernama.

The operation is expected to take several days.

"The underground fire must be extinguished or it will spread because refuse such as plastic bags can easily catch fire," said Raja Arisan.

The firefighters have been battling the landfill fire since Feb 20.