KUALA LUMPUR – Owners and operators of heritage buildings must take charge of their respective properties, including in the event of a mishap, said experts.
Being granted custodianship of gazetted historical structures comes with great responsibility, something that cannot be taken lightly, they added.
The comments come after a fire broke out at the old Sanitary Board building here on Saturday, raising concerns about whether enough is being done to protect and maintain the nation’s historic and cultural buildings.
The Sanitary Board building is owned by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and was gazetted as a heritage structure under the National Heritage Act 2005.
Initial investigations by the Fire and Rescue Department showed that the blaze was likely started by a staffer on duty to repel mosquitoes. The final report is pending.
National Heritage Council member Prof A. Ghafar Ahmad said even if the fire was caused by human negligence, DBKL, as the building owner, should have taken extra precautionary measures to prevent such incidents from happening.
“If a closed-circuit television camera had been installed, it would be easier to identify the cause of the fire,” he told The Vibes.
“And assuming it was caused by a third-party staffer, DBKL should have briefed him on the protocols and responsibilities when on duty at a heritage site. If this had been done, certainly the staffer wouldn’t have lit the fire.
“This is your ‘house’. How can you let someone in without telling them the house rules? This is not right. The owners of heritage buildings must take care of their sites to the best of their ability, and not expect others to do so.”
Ghafar, who is a registered conservator with the National Heritage Department, said heritage building owners must ensure a proper and working anti-fire system, including extinguishers, water supply and sprinklers, is in place.
Public Works Department conservation unit senior architect Mohd Sabere Sulaiman said these owners have a manual on how to maintain and care for every aspect of their sites.
However, he said, the onus is on the respective operators to ensure the manual is followed, adding that he is unsure if it was negligence on DBKL’s part that led to the fire last weekend.
The Vibes was unable to get comments from DBKL and Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa at the time of writing.
If you can’t look after buildings, don’t be custodians
Likening heritage buildings to diamonds, International Council on Monuments and Sites Malaysia board member Elizabeth Cardosa said owners should not be custodians if they are unable to properly care for the properties in question.
“I’m not just talking about DBKL. All heritage site owners must take ownership of their properties. It is time for everybody to step up and improve.”
The former Badan Warisan Malaysia president said it only makes sense that those who own, care and manage a building are the ones responsible not just for preparing safety protocols, but also enforcing them.
This includes explaining to people working at these places the standard operating procedures and guidelines.
“It’s really about having good practices and processes in place. I understand that the building is not in use, but were there no fire extinguishers in the area?
“At the end of the day, I think it is very fortunate that the fire damaged only a small area, and that no lives were lost. Regardless, we must never forget it, and must look at it in a thorough and holistic way so as to address it.”
The fire at the Sanitary Board building saw a table in the corridor razed, while a window was badly damaged. – The Vibes, February 19, 2021
