Large area of Kuala Tatau Serupai has been devastated by peatland fires

TATAU, March 27 2026: Firefighters entered their fifth day today battling to extinguish the peatland fires that have devastated large area at Kuala Tatau Serupai. 

 Caption: Firefighters are seen battling to contain the spread of peatland fires - Photo by Bomba

Tatau Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) station, in a statement, said it has received information from the Natural Resources and Environmental Board (NREB) via Google Earth zooming the total fire area of 300 hectares.

“The extinguishing operation was suspended and will continue tomorrow, the fire was successfully contained to 100 hectares, remaining 200 hectares are still left to be extinguished,” senior operation commander Sim Mui Chai said.

The extinguishing operation invled the use of two transport pumps, one from the fire department and the other from the Woodman Plantation.

Both pumps used a 200-foot hose line from the other side of the ditch to implement the ‘fire break’ method to control the fire from spreading to the oil palm plantation area.

 The ‘mopping’ process was carried out along the ‘fire break’ area before the extinguishing operation continued inland.

The firefighters also used two more excavators to help carry out the ‘fire break’ along 5km stretch.

The peatland fires started on March 23 at Kuala Tatau Serupai, about 40km from Tatau town.