KOTA BARU, April 17 — A total of 20 firemen in Kelantan will be on duty round the clock to extinguish the peatland fire in Mukim Beris Lalang, Bachok, beginning today.

Kelantan Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) director Jainal @ Zainal Madasin said that the operation would be divided into two 12-hour shifts, while more personnel would be added from time to time.

He said the department took the initiative to carry out the firefighting operation continuously to speed up the dousing process and to prevent the fire from spreading.

"As of 4 pm, we have managed to put out almost 40 per cent of the fire. We expect at least 60 to 70 per cent of the fire to be controlled within a day,” he said when contacted by Bernama, here today.

Commenting further, Zainal said the process of extinguishing the peatland fire would likely take a week or more depending on several factors, including the current weather conditions. — Bernama