GEORGE TOWN – A traditional wooden house in Jalan Datuk Keramat here caught fire at noon today, damaging five office units next to it.
The incident also caused a two-hour crawl in town, with thick smoke billowing from the site.
Penang Fire and Rescue Department Zone 1 chief senior fire superintendent 1 Muhammad Tarmizi Md Jaafar said 30 firefighters from the Jalan Perak and Lebuh Pantai stations, along with 40 volunteer firefighters, were deployed to put out the fire.
“In the incident, we had difficulty extinguishing the fire due to strong winds, causing the blaze to spread quickly.
“However, the fire was completely contained at 1pm,” he said at the scene.
Tarmizi said the cause of the fire and amount in losses are still under investigation.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Abdullah, 78, who has been renting the house for 30 years, said he was not at home at the time of the incident as he was working.
“My son told me my house was on fire. I rushed to see what had happened.
“My losses are estimated at between RM20,000 and RM30,000 because I don't have much household items.”
Ahmad said he will go live with his son in Air Hitam temporarily. – The Vibes, December 1, 2020
