KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- More than 2,000 firefighters have been deployed to combat forest fires in six states that have blanketed parts of Malaysia with smoke and haze, news reports said Friday.
A total of 8,600 hectares (21,300 acres) of forests and undergrowth are burning, and satellites picked up more than a dozen ''hot spots'' of intense heat over the states of Johor, Pahang, Selangor, Perak, Kedah and Kelantan, the Star newspaper reported.
It said more than 2,000 firefighters have fanned out across the country to control hundreds of small and big fires. The New Straits Times said two helicopters are aiding the effort.
Fire Department Assistant Director-General Mohamad Husain Ahmad Takin said firefighters were using bulldozers and excavators in some areas, digging deep trenches to stop peat fires, the Star reported.
''But ... it is difficult to pinpoint the exact location of the fire as it usually spreads underground,'' he was quoted as saying.
Peat fires are difficult to extinguish because they can burn deep beneath the ground and smolder for a long time. The situation has been worsened by hot and dry weather with temperatures soaring past 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit).
He said the central Selangor state was the worst-hit, with 7,880 hectares (19,471 acres) affected. Selangor surrounds Kuala Lumpur, the largest city in Malaysia, and the administrative capital Putrajaya.
On Friday, visibility in Subang district on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur plunged to 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) from the normal 10 kilometers (six miles), the Meteorological Department reported. Visibility was 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, but there were no reports of flight disruptions.
Although no life or property has been lost since the fires started burning in mid-February, the air quality has plummeted to unhealthy levels in at least two areas since Wednesday.
The U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur cautioned that ''outdoor activities and exercise should be avoided,'' especially by those with respiratory and heart conditions.
One forest has been burning for the past six days in Gua Musang, in northern Malaysia, at the peak of the 225 meter- (740 feet-) high limestone Aji Cave. The fire started after sparks flew from a nearby steel welding workshop, the New Straits Times reported.
Forest fires often occur in Malaysia during dry spells as a result of illegal fires set by farmers for replanting of crops or from carelessly discarded cigarette butts.
