00:01The trails at Nia National Park have been temporarily closed after a lightning strike
00:06sparked a fire on Monday.
00:08The Sarawak Forestry Corporation said park management received reports of thick smoke
00:13rising from the limestone hill near Kuala Guania at about 9am.
00:18Preliminary investigations indicate a thunderstorm swept through the park from 7am, with the
00:24blaze believed to have been triggered by a lightning strike.
00:27A monitoring team located the fire near Sungai Tanggal and the area beside Traders Cave found
00:33the fire spreading rapidly and reported hearing explosions from the limestone formation, raising
00:39fears of falling rocks along the trail to Traders Cave and the nearby Tanggap community stalls.
00:45As a precaution, all trails at Nia National Park have been closed until further notice to
00:50ensure visitor safety.
00:51Meanwhile, the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department said its air unit based in Miri will be deployed
00:58to support firefighting operations through water bombing.
01:02Located near Miri, Nia National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
01:08Its caves are a renowned archaeological site where some of Southeast Asia's oldest human
01:13remains have been discovered.
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