Five business premises at Penang’s iconic heritage site, Chew Jetty in George Town, were destroyed in a fire early this morning, with no casualties reported.
Northeast District Zone 1 operations officer Assistant Fire Chief Rusli Ibrahim said the fire department received a distress call at 1.08am, with firefighters arriving at the scene about two minutes later.
“The fire involved five shops, including a car workshop, welding shop, second-hand goods shop and wood factory. Firefighting operations were still underway as of 3am, but the fire had been successfully brought under control and no casualties were reported,” he said when met at the scene today.
Rusli said the firefighters’ swift response also saved a nearby petrol station and prevented the flames from spreading to residential areas surrounding the site.
About 30 personnel from the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) from the Paya Terubong, Jalan Perak and Lebuh Pantai fire stations were involved in the operation, with assistance from around 17 volunteer firefighters, the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) and police.
He said the cause of the fire and the total amount of losses were still under investigation.
One of the victims, Toh Aik Aun, 50, said the T-shirt printing business he had operated for about 30 years was destroyed in the blaze.
“Actually, there were hundreds of pieces of customers’ clothing still waiting to be completed and delivered. Everything was destroyed,” he said.
Another victim, Hong Jing Lian, 60, said his car painting workshop, which had been operating since 1997, was also destroyed, with losses estimated at RM1 million.
He said vehicles including a Suzuki Swift, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and BMW were inside the premises when the fire broke out.
Chew Jetty, located along George Town’s historic waterfront, is the largest Chinese clan jetty and one of the oldest in Penang.
The stilt settlement, which forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, consists of wooden houses built over the water and has been home to generations of the Chinese community since the 19th century.
