Jan 24, 2011
Five shophouses gutted in fire
GEORGE TOWN: Five pre-war shophouses in Beach Street were destroyed in an early morning fire.
The fire, which started barely 100m away from the Beach Street fire station, was spotted by a passer-by who called the Fire and Rescue Department at 1.11am yesterday.
A total of 163 firemen managed to bring the fire under control at about 2am.
Penang Fire and Rescue De-partment deputy director (operations) Mohd Razam Taja Rahim said seven engines from the Beach Street, Bagan Jermal, Perak Road, Bayan Baru and Seberang Perai fire stations were dispatched to the scene.
He added that another eight engines from the volunteer squads were also called in to help.
“Firefighters from the Beach Street fire station arrived at 1.13am. Luckily, no one was injured in the incident.
“The fire spread very fast because the structures were mainly made of wood and were also built very close to each other,” he said when met at the scene.
Mohd Razam said the cause of the fire and the damage have yet to be determined.
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