RM200,000 worth of cushion stock and four customers' cars destroyed in blaze

KUCHING: Several workers of a cargo service company stood helplessly when a fire razed through four of the six-unit row of shophouses in the Batu Kawah area.

In the incident that happened around 11am yesterday, the two units saved from the blaze belonged to the cargo handling company.

The four units destroyed were a car workshop, a car accessory shop, a wielding shop and a shop selling cushions.

According to a worker with the cargo handling company by the name of Mohd Fitri Abdullah, 26, the fire was first noticed by his two children, a three-year-old girl and a five-year-old boy.

He said they came running to tell him that there was a fire at a store room of the second shop unit.

When Mohd Fitri rushed over and saw the fire raging, he called out to his co-workers.

Together they grabbed at whatever important documents they could lay their hands on and rushed with these out of their cargo handling shops before the fire got unbearable.

It is understood that the Fire and Rescue Department received the distress call around 11.34am and dispatched fire engines from its Batu Lintang, Tabuan Jaya and Padungan stations to the scene.

The blaze was brought under control around 12.15pm.

The cushion shop owner surnamed Tang, 31, estimated his loss to be around RM200,000 and that included his newly ordered stock valued at RM10,000.

The car accessory shop owner known as Sin, in his 30s, said the fire also destroyed four cars that were in the shop. He said the cars — a Proton Satria, a Perodua Kelisa, a Mercedes Benz and a Perodua Viva — belonged to his customers.

The cargo handling company lost two forklifts along with several other items.

A Fire Department spokesman said their investigation team was still trying to determine the cause of the fire.