Firefighters controlling the fire that completely destroyed a double-storey tyre shop and damaging three other units in the incident yesterday.
KOTA KINABALU: A double-storey tyre shop near Lido township in Penampang was yesterday destroyed in a fire, with losses estimated at RM3 million.
Three other shop units, including a famous coffee shop, were also badly affected when the fire spread quickly, sending fire fighters rushing to control the raging inferno.
A couple of explosions also occurred, believed due to lubricants and diesel oil kept in the shop, while thick black smoke could be seen billowing as high as 30 meters from the city centre.
A firefighter who was controlling the blaze was also thrown a couple of meters away when a second explosion sent shock-waves and smoke from the ground floor of the tyre shop. He was not hurt in the incident.
State Fire and Rescue Department director Nordin Pauzi who was at the scene said his department received a distress call at 12.44 and immediately deployed eight fire engines to the scene within minutes.
Firefighters controlling the blaze as part of the building collapsed.
According to Nordin, fire fighters faced difficulty in controlling the blaze as the tyres were flammable.
” A couple of explosions also occurred due to tyres and lubricants kept in the shop, but no casualty was reported during the whole incident,” he said yesterday.
Nordin said the fire was put under control around 3.30pm while the operation ended around 5pm.
“The cause of the fire and actual total loss are still under investigation,” he said.
More than 50 firefighters from the Fire and Rescue Department and the Civil Defence Department (JPAM) were involved in the operation.
Meanwhile, shop owner Lee Gee Chung, 52, said he and seven of his workers were inside the shop when the fire broke out.
“Around noon, I was informed by one of my workers that there was a small fire from a room on the first floor, believed cause by electric short-circuits.
“I went to check and was shocked to see the room was already on fire.
“I immediately informed all my workers to evacuate the shop,” he said, adding that they only managed to save a couple of laptops and documents.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Yee Moh Chai, who was also at the scene, said assistance would be arranged for the affected victims in the fire, and urged everyone to be patient.