By Oh Chin Eng & Kow Kwan Yee
Kampar, March 10 - A Chinese Cemetery in Kampar was on fire today, making the weather hotter in the prolonged dry spell.
This is the entrance to the cemetery.
Reporters rushed to the scene after got a phone call from a source at 3.13pm.
The fire spread fast and caused the entire hill of cemetery almost burnt down. There is no water hydrant at the cemetery and the water from the fire department’s vehicle couldn’t reached the top of the hill.
The smoke as seen from UTAR Kampar, a few kilometres away from the scene.
Speaking to reporters after stopping from putting out the fire at the lower ground, a fire brigade named Asari said the fire at the upper part of the hill will go off by itself.
The fire brigade trying to put out the fire at the lower part of the hill.
He alleged that the fire started because of the grass clearing activity at the cemetery by the cemetery’s person-in-charge.
“The fire is actually put by the cemetery people every year and they have applied for permit, so it’s ok. But we’ll take action for every phone call made by the public,” he said.
Mr. Asari speaking explaining to the reporters.
The Kampar Fire and Rescue Services Department operation chief Norizan Isfak Ahmad said that they reached at 3.30pm after receiving a phone call from the public at 3.13pm.
A fireman is trying to stop the fire from spreading.
According to the cemetery’s person-in-charge who wished to be unnamed said that the fire is caused by the burning of prayer’s offerings when family members visited their relative’s grave.
“It’s not us who start the fire. Usually we only burn the grass in the few weeks before Ching Ming Celebration and we have workers to control the fire from spreading into the jungle.”
The cemetery's person-in-charge in hat trying to defend that the fire is not caused by them.
He also said that all the grass burning activity is approved and given permit by the authority.
“I’m shocked to received a call from my friend at 3pm saying that the cemetery is on fire,”he added.
The condition of the cemetery because of the fire.
No casulties were involved in this fire. The fire only managed to put out when it started to rain at 4.10pm.
The fire getting bigger after the fire brigade left at 4pm but luckily it stops because of the rain.
