BEAUFORT : Poachers may have been responsible for fires that caused extensive damage to a forest reserve here and an agricultural project for smallholders.
District Officer Mohd Shaid Othman said the poachers may have started the fire to chase out sambar deer from the forest before shooting the animals.
"We received information about this from the public and we leave it to the police to investigate," he said adding information about the poachers has been given to the authorities.
Shaid said the peat fires which began spreading extensive early last weekend had damaged about 70 per cent of the Binsulok Forest Reserve which stretches about 12,000 hectares.
"About RM5 million worth of crops planted by participants of the government Binsulok Mesej project under the Sabah Land Development Board and Rural Development Ministry were damaged," he said.
Under the poverty eradication project, smallholders plant between 1 ha go 10 ha of pineapples or oil palm in their respective plots.
Shaid expressed his gratitude to the Fire and Rescue Department who were relentless in battling the peat fires everyday until it rained yesterday and briefly today.
The Fire and Rescue department Assistant Director of Operations Khairul Azuwan said operations have been suspended for now after the downpour but most of their equipment were still at the fire sites.
"We have declared a temporary stand-down but we remain on full alert in case fire starts spreading," he said adding new teams will also be replacing those who were on duty at the scene.