Penang’s Pulau Burung landfill on fire, again

 

The blaze at the landfill caused much of the south of Seberang Perai to be covered in smog earlier this morning. (Fire and Rescue department pic)

GEORGE TOWN: A big chunk of Penang’s largest landfill near Nibong Tebal caught fire earlier this morning, sending plumes of black smoke across the mainland.

Firemen say underground fires deep below the landfill surface ignited the fire at about 6.30am, razing nearly 4ha of the 16ha-Pulau Burung landfill.

A fire department spokesman said the fire was under control and currently being contained to prevent the blaze from spreading to other parts of the landfill.

The spokesman said two fire engines were still on site to control the fire.

This is the second time this year the landfill has caught fire, after the first incident in February which razed about 0.09ha (10,000 sq ft) of the area. It took nearly eight hours to put out that fire. - FMT