MIRI: An early morning fire that engulfed Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Miri branch office’s store room yesterday stunned the local people.
Fast action taken by 17 firemen from Miri Fire Station managed to prevent the fire from spreading to the next block of Pelita Commercial Centre.
SUPP Piasau chairman Datuk Sebastian Ting who was in Kuala Lumpur during the incident immediately flew back yesterday morning after being told of the incident. The fire destroyed a store room of the office, located on the third floor of the building.
It is believed that the fire started about 2am as some nearby tenants spotted smoke coming out of the building.
According to sources, they heard small explosions coming out from the store room.
They later called the fire station for help.
Seventeen firemen in two fire engines rushed to the scene after receiving a distress call at 3.08am. They managed to put out the fire within minutes.
Initial investigation has ruled out any foul play.
The store room accommodated four units of computers and some old documents which included past results of previous elections. Total loss has yet to be determined.
This was the second time the building caught fire, the first one occurred last year.
Meanwhile, Ting when met by the media while visiting the scene said he was stunned upon hearing the news.
“I was in KL when one of my friends called me at 3.23am about the incident. I immediately asked SUPP’s assistant secretary general Karambir Singh Honey to go to the scene with keys of the main entrance to the building so that firemen can enter and put out the fire,” he explained.
No casualties were reported in the incident.
“Based on the CCTVs at the back and in front of the building, we did not see any suspicious persons entering the building before the fire started,” disclosed Ting.
No forced entries were detected.
Yesterday news: 20 July
Fire breaks out at SUPP office again
MIRI: A fire broke out at the third floor of the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Piasau office in the wee hours of the morning today, but no casualties were reported.
The party publicity and information secretary, who is also Piasau branch chairman, Datuk Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew, said the security guard at the nearby hotel alerted the Fire and Rescue Department about the fire at 3am.
“So far no force entry has been detected but we leave it to the relevant authorities to investigate. As of now, the estimated loss still unknown,” he told reporters after visiting the scene here today.
Seventeen firemen and two fire engines were deployed to the scene and managed to put out the fire within 30 minutes.
Ting, who is the political secretary to Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin, said four computers, printers, chairs and five air-conditioning units in the office were destroyed.
The fire was the second incident involving SUPP with the first occurred on Dec 13 last year at its headquarter in Kuching just after it was used for the 24th SUPP central committee meeting. – Bernama