Malaysian firefighters responded to a fake forest fire call in Penang after receiving a prank call at midnight. The department director general is calling for stricter enforcement and technological solutions to manage the constant nuisance calls.

It’s midnight. A call was made to Malaysia’s Fire and Rescue Department about a forest fire in Tanjung Bungah, Penang. Firefighters rushed to the scene only to discover there was no such blaze. the department gets a prank call every other day. Many of these calls are usually made about an hour before or after midnight. Its exasperated director general Nor Hisham Mohammad is now calling for a multiprong approach to deal with the problem. “There should be stricter enforcement, use of technological...