SINGAPORE - The number of vegetation fires here in the first three months of the year has decreased by 70 per cent compared to the same period last year.

From January to March 29, there were a total of 121 fires, down from 409, according to figures released by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) on Wednesday (March 30).

Ninety-four fires have been recorded this month, the largest at a thick patch of vegetation along Yishun Ring Road. The SCDF extinguished it using two water jets.

On Tuesday (March 29), the SCDF put out 20 fires involving pockets of vegetation.

The largest incident measured an area of 2m by 10m, near the junction of Tampines Avenue 1 and Tampines Avenue 10. The SCDF was alerted at about 10.50 am and extinguished the fire within 15 minutes using two water jets.

The other 19 fires were even smaller, the SCDF said. Those fires spanned an average area of 2m by 2m, and were extinguished either with one water jet or handheld canvas beaters.

Most involved shrubs along the centre dividers of the PIE and BKE.

In January, five young men were arrested for allegedly causing a large blaze at a Pungol Waterway Park, near Waterway Primary School.

They were reported to have been playing with sparklers before the incident occurred. No one was injured.

Twenty firefighters took half an hour to get the blaze under control, and another hour to fully extinguish the fire.