MIRI: Miri city was choking in haze early Friday morning (April 19) with the Air Pollutant Index shooting up to 183 – which is in the unhealthy level.

Thick haze swept into the city from the night before.

Miri Fire and Rescue Department chief Supt Law Poh Kiong said the latest haze came from the raging forest fires in the Sungai Adong area.

Those are the new hot spots.

"Our firefighters have doused much of the fires in Kuala Baram district. But the API in Miri shot up to 183 early this morning due to the fires burning near the high-tension wires along Sg Adong/Southlake area.

"We believe the fires were due to illegal farming," he said.

Miri city has a population of 350,000 people. The API reading this morning is the highest on record since forest fires started to break out beginning March 1.