FIRE RAZES TWO FACTORIES IN BUTTERWORTH

BUTTERWORTH, May 11 (Bernama) -- A mattress factory and a recycling plant in Kampung Tok Sani in the Sungai Lokan Industrial Area here were destroyed in a fire last night.

Penang Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) director Mohamad Shoki Hamzah said they received an emergency call at 10.01 pm, and the first fire engine from the Butterworth fire and rescue station arrived at the scene 12 minutes later.

“Upon arrival, firefighters found that the two factories located next to each other were ablaze. Each factory is estimated to cover an area of 11,900 square feet.

“When the first unit arrived, the fire was raging, with about 60 per cent of the mattress factory and 70 per cent of the recycling plant destroyed. We brought the blaze under control by 10.51 pm and prevented it from spreading to other premises in the area,” he told Bernama.

He said teams from the Jalan Perak, Perai and Sungai Bakap stations, along with nearby volunteer firefighters, helped in fighting the blaze.

He added that the mattress factory was also believed to have stored chemicals on the premises. However, there were no casualties, and the cause of the fire and estimated losses are still under investigation.

-- BERNAMA