A FIRE at Sekolah Kebangsaan Padang Melangit in Padang Besar, Perlis, destroyed around 90 per cent of an eight-room school building this morning, leaving a private cleaning worker with burns over 30 per cent of his body.
Mohamad Azhar Yussof, Deputy Director of Operations at the Perlis Fire and Rescue Department, said the emergency call was received at 11.05 a.m., with firefighters arriving on site 13 minutes later.
“The fire involved a school building with eight rooms including a store, art room, design and technology room, and health room. The fire is believed to have started in the store before spreading to adjacent rooms,” he told reporters.
He added that crews from the Padang Besar, Kangar, and Arau stations, along with volunteer fire brigades, contained the blaze within about an hour.
“The operation was initially challenging due to limited water supply and a non-functioning fire hydrant, requiring teams to source water from a nearby pond until additional tankers arrived,” he said. The cause of the fire and the extent of the losses are still under investigation.
The injured worker, a 29-year-old man, suffered burns to the back of his thighs but is in stable condition and has been sent to Hospital Tuanku Fauziah in Kangar for treatment.
Rose Aza Che Arifin, Perlis Director of Education, confirmed all 192 students and 18 teachers were safe and had been moved to the school hall immediately after the fire was detected.
“The building was scheduled to be upgraded as a Special Education Integration Programme block next year. In light of this incident, we will reassess the need for more suitable facilities,” she said, adding that normal school operations will resume tomorrow as unaffected classrooms remain in use.
In a separate incident in Kulai, Johor, a 35-year-old factory worker, N Elango, was found dead after a fire engulfed a 60 by 80-metre recycling facility on Jalan Seelong Senai early today.
Muhammad Asri Yousri, Operations Commander of the Kulai Fire and Rescue Station, said his team received the emergency call at 3.40 a.m. and dispatched nine personnel with three fire engines to the scene.
“Upon arrival, the semi-permanent factory building was already 20 per cent destroyed by fire. One victim was trapped inside and found charred. Firefighting operations continued until the blaze was fully extinguished,” he said.
The victim’s body has been handed over to police for further investigation. - November 13, 2025
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