Kuantan: The fire at the Jerangau-Jabor landfill in Mukim Sungai Karang here, which broke out yesterday, was brought under control at about 5.30 pm today. Gebeng Fire and Rescue Station chief Zahidah Ali said monitoring efforts are still ongoing, with 12 personnel stationed at the scene tonight.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the affected area is now only filled with smoke, and work to cover the burning rubbish with soil will continue to prevent thick ash from escaping the rubbish heap. The work will be carried out by the contractor until late tonight and the fire brigade will continue to monitor the location, Zahidah said in a statement.

Zahidah informed that the extinguishing operation, which involved an area of about one hectare, began after the team received an emergency call at 3.46 pm yesterday, arriving at the scene about 10 minutes later. Earlier, the Department of Environment reported that the fire at the landfill had caused unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings in Balok Baru, Kuantan, and Kemaman in Terengganu.