Singapore's military on standby as dry spell ignites bushfires

0 Comments | AFP, February, 2005

SINGAPORE (AFP) — Singapore's military has been put on standby to counter the threat posed by daily bushfires amid an unusually dry spell of weather in the tropical Southeast Asian nation.

There had been an average nine bushfires a day since the start of the year, with a record number of 35 on February 8, a Civil Defence Force spokesman told AFP on Thursday.

In all, there have been 497 bushfires in Singapore since the start of the year, just three short of the number firefighters tackled for the whole of 2004.

A defence ministry spokeswoman said military helicopters, each capable of carrying and unloading 2,000 litres of water, had been put on standby to assist firefighters.

With most of the fires being quickly brought under control and in areas that...