KUALA LUMPUR: Recent forest and bush fires reported over the past few days in Malaysia are believed to have been caused by human activity, says Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Nor Hisham Moham­mad.

“Natural combustion is unlikely in this weather, so it’s highly pro­bable the fires were caused by human actions, even though no specific forensic investigation has been carried out,” he said.

Nor Hisham said one of the latest forest fires covered about 1.2ha in Bukit Kajang Prima on July 19, requiring 22 firefighters and four fire engines to extinguish.

He said a separate bush fire was reported earlier near Bukit Jalil, prompting firefighters to act swiftly to prevent the blaze from spreading.

“Our monitoring and operations remain under control. No major fires have been reported so far, including in peatland areas,” he told Bernama.

From Jan 1 to July 19 this year, a total of 7,223 fire cases were recorded nationwide, involving bush and field fires, forest fires and open burning of waste.

Bush or grass fires accounted for the highest number of cases at 4,733, followed by waste fires (1,662), forest fires (537) and farm or plantation fires (291).

Selangor recorded the highest number of incidents with 1,364 cases, followed by Perak (938), Johor (831), Kedah (662), Kuala Lumpur (113) and Labuan (44). Putrajaya reported the lowest number, with just eight.

Meanwhile, several areas in Selangor and Negri Sembilan, including Johan Setia and Nilai, recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index levels yesterday, believed to be caused by transboundary haze from forest fires in Indonesia.

Nor Hisham urged the public to refrain from open burning and to report any signs of fire to prevent them from spreading.