MIRI: The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) in Miri urges the authorities to hit the panic button as the haze here gets worse - with wildfires now covering 54.2ha of land, equivalent to 134 football fields.

In post to its social media sites, MNS said smog is enveloping the whole of the Miri and Kuala Baram districts.

"The situation is bad. People must limit outdoor activities immediately," said MNS.

Miri Fire and Rescue Department chief Supt Law Poh Kiong said the latest updates from fire fighters is that there are four big fires.

"The biggest is in Kuala Baram measuring 41ha (the size of 100 football fields)," he said.

Dry conditions and strong winds are causing the spread of wildfires in several districts in northern Sarawak.

There are raging fires in plantation land in the Kuala Baram district, in Senadin housing estate, along the Miri-Marudi road, Eastwood Valley and in Lawas district.

These wildfires raging on land owned by development consortiums in Kuala Baram are being made worse by the dry spell and strong wind, said Supt Law.

"The weather conditions now and over the next two days are expected to be dry.

"The low-water level and strong winds too are causing the fires to spread," he said in his latest updates Monday (Feb 24).

Supt Law said Bomba Miri had received public complaints about open burning that is causing the spates of wildfires in Miri and Kuala Baram.

Bomba teams have been deployed to the fire sites to try to douse these fires.